News Release
Your Doc’s In™ Selects CodoniXnotes™
Easton, MD - March 20, 2006 - Your Doc’s In (YDI), a multi site urgent care clinic recently installed the CodoniXnotes coding and charting software at its sites in Maryland and has already seen substantial savings, improved cash flow and better service for their patients.
CodoniXnotes allows clinicians to record patient data from registration through discharge using a series of mouse clicks. The result is a fully coded, CMS compliant narrative patient chart produced in real time that is ready to be submitted for billing. The need for hand-written charts, or dictation and transcription is completely eliminated.
YDI chose the new Application Service Provider (ASP) model for CodoniXnotes which provides all the security and functionality of an in-house network with none of the hardware or support costs. YDI pays a monthly subscription fee for the application and there is no capital cost associated with implementation. Access to the application is over a high speed Internet connection to a secure encrypted HIPAA compliant CodoniX server.
Geraldine Goertzen MD, Director of YDI, said that a traditional client-server type of automation system would have been prohibitively expensive and inflexible. “Our group spent considerable time investigating electronic charting options to use at our ‘Your Doc’s In’ sites but it was difficult to find something that met all of our needs. The primary care applications that we looked at are predominantly focused on appointments and maintenance care, which was not our need. As a rule they had no way to track the progress of a patient receiving labs, EKGs, meds, X-rays, or treatments and procedures during their visit. In addition there was no way to record the results of the above. Most emergency department applications also did not do this well and those few that did, had exorbitant price tags. The emergency programs in general could not be easily integrated with a billing and office management component.”
Dr. Goertzen went on to say that “It was very important for us to have an application that was web based. This allowed continuous customization, such as new ICD 9 codes, by CodoniX, not us. In addition, maintenance of the prior charts resides with CodoniX. We did not want that headache-either with paper or computer.” YDI has also become virtually paperless by using the document and image scanning feature included with CodoniXnotes. CodoniXnotes makes it easy to attach electronically scanned images and documents such as EKGs, insurance forms, registration documents and HIPAA disclosure consent forms to the patient chart. A simple mouse click on the patient’s name on the appointment scheduler or tracker board lets the user view the attached documents.
YDI uses the built in CodoniXnotes tracker board for walk-in patients. “We had planned on purchasing a practice management system to use with CodoniXnotes, but with the functionality of the CodoniXnotes registration and scheduling front end, we decided not to do so at this time. In the future, if we decide to add a PM solution, CodoniX can easily interface with what ever system we choose and move the charts into that system. Even without a PM system, our billing company has immediate remote access to the CodoniXnotes charts and coding summaries so that our billing almost occurs in real time.”
She added that “The initial implementation of CodoniXnotes was very simple. We provided CodoniX with our preferences for some items such as default physician exams and it was ready in a matter of days. We were further able to customize items such as our referral list on the fly. The CodoniX staff was also receptive to continued requests for change. Many of our follow up requests were literally changed and ready for use in minutes.”
Staff training was also easy. “Several of our doctors had used the CodoniX Emergency Department application at a local hospital but we were able to train the rest of our staff in about two hours by simply walking them through the process. The few staff members who did not attend the training were able to intuitively figure out how to use the product just by using it.”
According to Dr. Goertzen “glitches” in operation have been few so far and more dependent on workstation configuration issues and establishing a reliable Internet connection than with the CodoniXnotes application. In addition, the quality of the charts has been outstanding. “They are clean, easy to follow, and give you the answer to most questions at a glance. We have also set up a fax server so that we can directly fax these to primary physicians if we know that those offices want our reports.”
Was it the right choice, Dr. Goertzen was asked? She answered emphatically that “I have been through the entire process and strongly feel that there is no better choice. Is it perfect? Of course not, but it is more so than anything else available.”
CodoniX, Inc.
Headquartered in Potomac, MD, CodoniX, Inc. (www.codonix.com) is a privately held company with a proprietary technology that can be accessed on a local area network or via the Internet to accurately build and code a computerized physician's notes without using complex menus and rigid templates. These notes reduce errors and dramatically increase collections and cut administrative costs associated with dictation, transcription, coding and copying. Other medical specialty documentation applications are available for orthopedics, obstetrics/gynecology, family practice and urgent care.
CodoniX, Inc.
Steve Speights
PO Box 59050
Potomac, MD 20859
(800) 495-7270
e-mail: Stephens@codonix.com
web: www.codonix.com