Posted by: AtlasMD

February 29, 2016

Two Step Authentication

Have you been wondering how to activate or deactivate two step authentication on the Atlas.md EMR? We just launched a new video that will help you with the process, and you can read more about it in the help section or shoot us an email at hello@atlas.md if you have any questions.

While some clinics prefer to activate two step authentication, it’s all about your personal preference. What do you choose to do? Feel free to follow up in the comments or check out the forum or leave a comment below to discuss and explore with other DPC physicians.

Posted by: AtlasMD

February 25, 2016

ACH Is Here and It’s Easier Than Ever To Accept Payments

ACH_02

There’s a new way to accept payments through Atlas, and it’s going to make things even better for you and your patients. We’re excited to announce the launch of Atlas.md’s ACH acceptance.

Here’s the scoop. By now you know that you can accept credit and debit payments. And that’s been great. But ACH is a way for you to accept payments directly from your customers’ bank accounts. If you remember, back in November, we lowered your transaction payments from 2.5% to 2.1%, but this new addition makes it even cheaper to accept payments from your patients.

The cool thing about ACH (besides the convenience) is that the charge per transaction is only going to be 25¢, which is less than the current 2.1% + 30¢ per transaction for credit/debit card payments. While it does take about 7 days for your patients’ funds to go through, this can add a bit more flexibility to your payment acceptance options.

Accept Multiple Types of Payment

ACH acceptance is a win-win: it lets your patients send money directly from their bank, so they have less to worry about, and it allows your clinic to accept payments without paying high transaction fees. And it’s a win-win that includes no learning curve.

To accept ACH payments, just follow some simple instructions:

  • Go to the patient billing page, and then add a new bank account.
  • Enter your patient’s name, account number, and routing number.
  • You’ll receive a confirmation message that the bank account has been added and needs to be verified.
  • The customer will get an email with details about the process and a link that they can use to complete the verification.

That’s it! Go ahead and get set up with ACH today or read some more specifics about how ACH works here.

Posted by: AtlasMD

August 25, 2015

You Have Time, But You Still Need Efficiency.

As a DPC doc, time is on your side. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do everything in your power to manage it effectively. Tasks like handling off-hours communication, or sending effective and quick email responses can be streamlined to make sure you have time for everything. Here are a few tips to help make sure you have a leg up on your time management instead of the other way around.

Do your patients follow up on their own emails?

If your patients send emails, and then follow up with questions, perhaps there’s more you can do to make your response to them robust and comprehensive. Anticipate their needs, and include more information than they’ve asked for. Go a step above and beyond what they’re expecting. Speak human, not doctor. You went to medical school, not your patients! Use simplified terms, and include links to more in-depth explanation where applicable. Here’s a great resource to make each and every email you send infinitely better, from your word choice, to tone, to the actual content of your message.

Do you send the same email time and time again?

Your patients have lots of questions, and it’s great that you’re available to answer them all. But those questions become repetitive and before long you find yourself typing the same response over and over. Something’s gotta give, right? Use text snippets to reduce the time you spend responding while still maintaining your email’s integrity. Tools like Breevy integrate with your operating system to abbreviate bits of content, and then automatically expand into an entire paragraph. Essentially, it works just like macros in the Atlas.md EMR if you’re familiar. Super handy, quick, and accurate! Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

August 6, 2015

Announcing the Atlas Direct Care Curriculum!

LaunchMaterials

Announcing the Launch of a Tool that Teaches Everything about DPC.

We’re big believers in doing things the right way, which is why we’ve put together a comprehensive curriculum teaching about Direct Care. And since we don’t think you should have to pay for doing your homework, we’re offering the curriculum completely free of charge – just like our consulting services!

Okay, so let’s dive in. What’s this curriculum all about anyway? It covers all the most important aspects anyone considering DPC would wonder about:

• What is Direct Care?
• What Does it Mean to Cut Out the Middleman?
• Is Direct Care Right for You?
• How Much Will it Cost to Start a DPC Practice?
• What Technology Will I Need to Run a Smooth Practice?
• The Ins and Outs of Insurance in the Direct Care Model.
• Charging and Billing for Direct Care Services.
• Running an In-House Pharmacy.
• Making the Transition: How to Approach Patients About Your Decision to Switch to DPC.
• Marketing Your Direct Care Practice.
• Creating Value for Your Patients.
• Staffing Your Direct Care Clinic.

Additional Resources Galore.

Each lesson features additional resource links so you can continue your education if you so choose. Plus, we’re including our starter packet, stuffed full of templates and real life examples you can actually put to use in your Direct Care practice. We’re talking things like price comparison, Medicare agreements, conversion letters to patients, labs pricing spreadsheets and more.

Who Do You Know?

So, who do you know who might be interested in Direct Care? This curriculum covers multiple angles, including someone starting their practice right out the residency gate and someone transitioning from a long career in traditional healthcare. Send them to the curriculum where they can learn everything there is to know about Direct Care – at your own pace. All the information is available online, or you can have lessons delivered weekly to your inbox.

Less Talk. More Action!

Alright, now that you know the curriculum exists it’s time to check it out. Delve into it yourself, or pass it on to a colleague you think would benefit from Direct Care. Go, go, go!

Visit the Atlas Direct Care Curriculum. >

Posted by: AtlasMD

June 22, 2015

The Easiest Way to Start a Business.

There’s no shortage of information. Let’s be honest; there are a million self help books, articles, blogs, tweets in the world that tell you how to be amazing. How to jump straight to the top, fix that problem, get those unattainable customers. There’s some really good advice mixed in there, but there’s also A LOT of fluff. The best way to get good at something new – fast – can be digested in three easy concepts. (A happy shout out to The Cauldron for these nuggets of inspiration.) It all boils down to preparedness.

Mistakes, Mistakes, Mistakes.

No, not making them (although that does come with the territory), but rather learning from the mishaps already committed by others. That means you watch. You evaluate what’s been done, how it’s been done, what went wrong, and how you can do it differently to avoid those same pitfalls. If you’re just starting out in Direct Care, you’re in luck. There are plenty who have gone before you to pave the road. And while most of them have succeeded, there have been a few failures to note. So get all the information you can. How, you’re wondering? So glad you asked.

Talk the Talk!

You don’t have to sit on the sidelines while you figure out your next moves. Ask questions, apply the answers in your head, and visualize the result. The answers you’re looking for aren’t hidden like buried treasure. You know those docs with clinics successfully off the ground? They want to see DPC grow, too. Take Atlas for example. We offer free training, consulting, and support to anyone who asks. While others charge a mountain of money for those same things, we don’t think you should be charged for not cutting corners on your homework. So go ahead, ask all the questions you want.

Jump All The Way In!

You’re ready now. You know what to do, you’ve done the research, you’ve thought about it all ad nauseam. So go do it. All of it.

What we’re trying to say is going all the way in with a proven DPC business model is much more effective than a hybrid model that say, for example, offers 1/2 insurance, 1/2 DPC. A hybrid clinic will probably struggle more because it’s not 100% of either model – kind of like always having one foot out the door in case it doesn’t work out. What’s more, starting with just a few services with a plan to add more (wholesale meds, labs, texting, email, etc.) later could actually hinder growth. Think of it this way. How do you expect to grow if you’re not putting 100% of the value you can offer your patients out there immediately? So wear your heart (and your services) on your sleeve, and don’t look back.

Time is of the essence when you’re making a life change such as starting or transitioning to DPC. But by wrapping your head around the ideas above, you’ll learn the ropes quicker than just dipping one toe in at a time. Much more refreshing that way, too – just ask those who have already jumped in!

Posted by: AtlasMD

February 16, 2015

Atlas MD Podcast 21 – Inside the Mind of Medical Students

Atlas MD Podcast 21 – Inside the Mind of Medical Students

In the latest podcast, Drs. Josh and Doug talk about their upcoming travel schedule, which recent updates to the Atlas.md EMR have made the most impact on clinic efficiency, the launch of IAmDirectCare.com, and how a $600 prescription turned into $6 (that’s not a typo!).

Next, the docs open up the floor to two medical students from Kansas City who have been shadowing Atlas MD for the past month. The students verbally explore their chosen paths, and express how Direct Primary Care fits into their future plans. Then they grill Josh and Doug on a handful of questions everyone’s thinking, but may not be asking out loud. They discuss marketing practices, how DPC sells itself, why it’s best not to offer insurance out of the gate when starting your DPC practice, and how in the world some docs still don’t see the benefit of the DPC model. The students don’t hold back and succeed in getting their answers.

Through it all, it’s becoming more clear that the DPC message is reaching more physician hopefuls throughout more aspects of their training. Although it can sound too good to be true, docs are learning that the DPC model can solve a lot of problems for a lot of people if implemented in the right way.

Listen to Podcast 21 here for all the details! > 

Posted by: AtlasMD

December 3, 2014

Getting Patients to Take Their Meds is a Work in Progress.

A while back, we told you about a new method aimed at getting patients to take their meds – this one revolved around video games. But gaming isn’t a motivator for everyone, and researchers are trying to find the trouble spot surrounding the lack of adherence to doctor’s orders.

Dr. Steve Leuck, PharmD is a pharmacist and founder of AudibleRx. Dr. Leuck is excited that more research is being done to get to the bottom of the issue, but he thinks success might revolve around patient education.

“When patients understand why they are taking their medications, and importantly, what the consequences are of not taking their medication, they are much more likely to be adherent to their pharmaceutical regimen,” he said.

The studies that have already been conducted looking at things like utilizing pill box organizers, having the pharmacist talk to the patient about the medication, text reminders, even web-based support. But a lot of variance in how the studies were conducted and the sheer lack of studies in general prevented them from coming to any conclusions we can run with.

The case isn’t cracked… yet. But those in the field aren’t done trying.  Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

July 18, 2014

What’s New in Atlas.md?

Atlas.md rolled out more updates! In this latest batch, you’ll find more features that help your clinic run more smoothly, details on security measures, and more ways to connect directly with your patients.

HumanAPI integration

Expanding our fitness tracking capabilities, Atlas.md has added support for the Human API, which is a gateway to most of the fitness devices and applications available on the market. We now support devices from Jawbone, Nike, iHealth and Withings as well as applications such as RunKeeper, Moves App and DailyMile.

Easily export basic patient details to CSV

Now you can easily export basic patient information to a CSV file, which can be read by Microsoft Excel, Google Apps and virtually any other application that supports spreadsheets. This also allows you to easily export lists to web applications like Campaign Monitor and Mail Chimp.

Extra security: inactivity logouts

You can now enable the “Inactivity Logout” feature, which kicks users out of the system after 30 inactive minutes. This can be useful for clinics who have shared computers in the office. It’s especially helpful for making sure the system stays secure for when someone forgets to logout, or leaves a computer unattended or unlocked.

Editable dashboard calendar

You can now adjust the calendar that shows up on your dashboard. This is specifically helpful for nurses and staff members who need to keep track of doctors’ appointments instead of their own.

Email notification on task completion

Now when someone completes a task you’ve assigned them, you’ll get a notification email confirming the completion. This closes any possible communication gap, and ensures you’re always in the loop on the delegated tasks.

Critical note for patient records

Atlas.md users can now add critical notes to patient charts. Critical notes are highlighted and fixed at the top of the patient record to ensure they are not overlooked. Critical notes are particularly useful for patients with a specific sensitive condition, allergies, etc.

Billing: expanded communication logs

We now keep track of all email invoices and failed payments for both patients and companies. Users can also add custom notes to the communication logs to help them keep track of other collection efforts made.

Referencing notes inside notes in the patient record

Atlas.md’s macro-autocompleter now allows you to reference other notes inside the same patient record. Just type “#attachment” to reference a previous attachment, “#prescription” to reference a previous prescription, etc.

Posted by: AtlasMD

June 4, 2014

Prescription Prices Are Too Damn High

Our nation loves prescriptions.

According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center, “Nearly 70% of Americans take one prescription drug and more than half take two.”

It gets better. Approximately 20% of Americans use at least five prescription medications. Imagine the cost savings if Direct Care doctors directly prescribed a majority of these at wholesale prices.

Prescription drug use has been increasing steadily in the U.S. for the last ten years.

So what drugs are being prescribed, and why?

Read more

Posted by: AtlasMD

May 21, 2014

Direct Care Subscription Savings — Wholesale Prescriptions

We keep telling them, but some critics still doubt that Direct Care can save patients a tremendous amount of money each month.

Venlafaxine tablets  (generic for Effexor) is a prime example.

Assuming you know about the coupon option, you can buy the generic for $17. However, if not, you’ll pay ~$150 cash.

Keep in mind that we can sell a monthly script of Venlafaxine tablets for $5.70.

Read more