Atlas.md | EMR Software for Concierge Medicine

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

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

February 24, 2016

Atlas.md Podcast 24 – What’s After Meaningful Use?

Direct Care continues to sweep the nation. Everywhere Direct Care is attempted in the right way is a smashing success! The interest from patients is definitely there – it just takes the proper implementation on the business end. Brand new clinics opening their doors across the country are proving it! Direct Care isn’t a niche anymore – it’s becoming a standard of care.

Listen to Atlas Podcast 24 here. >

Meaningful (less?) Use.
Dr’s Josh and Doug talk about their reservations about what will come next after Meaningful Use has gone by the wayside. They feel true innovation comes from the ground up and challenge Direct Care docs to be agents of change. Listen in as they discuss how to unleash organic ingenuity in your own community.

If You’re Gonna Do It, Do It The Right Way.
Every step forward we take benefits the next person. And of course, our goal is to propel the DPC movement forward in any way we can. But you don’t have to go around feeling in the dark. Atlas offers so very many resources! Including your very own personal Easy Button named Kirk Umbehr, a community forum, a career center, and a 12-part Direct Care Curriculum.

Beware of the Competition.
Atlas aims to keep the DPC market pure. Dr’s Josh and Doug discuss what to watch out for in the competition. (Spoiler: certain membership requirements, mandatory third party intrusions, and plain old bad advice.)

Posted by: AtlasMD

February 15, 2016

Hitting Measurements and Failing Patients

We recently posted about The Virtual Quality Myth, so we were really excited to see this New York Times article about how measurements are failing our doctors and teachers.

When Measurements Don’t Cut It

Most of the doctors that we talk to on a daily basis understand this basic principle: measurements that are based on outdated standards can’t possibly lead to positive patient results. The NYT brings up a good point: With all the rules and paperwork and documentation, doctors still speak to their patients — they still consult and provide treatment, but now they have to be really accurate with how and when they mark this information down. It becomes nearly impossible to have a long conversation with a patient when you’re worried about tracking every issue, instance, and idea. Once the systems entered the game, the personal interaction and connection moved out of sight.

We saw this as a problem many years ago, though it seems like the idea is spreading a little quicker now that we’re seeing the failure of the “measurement method,” as we’re calling it.

“…the objections became harder to dismiss as evidence mounted that even superb and motivated professionals had come to believe that the boatloads of measures, and the incentives to “look good,” had led them to turn away from the essence of their work. In medicine, doctors no longer made eye contact with patients as they clicked away.” (New York Times)

We’re obviously behind Robert M. Wachter, the author of the New York Times article, and we were excited to read this quote in particular, since it’s exactly what we try to do with our DPC:

“Last week, Andy Slavitt, Medicare’s acting administrator, announced the end of a program that tied Medicare payments to a long list of measures related to the use of electronic health records. ‘We have to get the hearts and minds of physicians back,’ said Mr. Slavitt. ‘I think we’ve lost them.”

The best part about this is that DPC doctors are already doing exactly what this NYT article is hoping for:

“In health care, [minimization of measurement burdens] will come through advances in natural language processing, which may ultimately allow us to assess the quality of care by having computers “read” the doctor’s note, obviating the need for all the box-checking. In both fields, simulation, video review and peer coaching hold promise.”

Sometimes it’s good to know that we’re doing the right thing. And we think other DPC doctors will be excited to hear that their choices are not only positive, but they’re measuring up! Check out some more ideas and see how our EMR can help you get your practice moving.

Posted by: AtlasMD

February 5, 2016

Save 40% on Insurance

While all doctors can benefit from malpractice insurance, it’s rare to find a company that offers insurance specific to your clinic’s needs. But we set out to change all that. We’ve been working closely with a national malpractice carrier to give DPC clinics a discount.

With the support of Atlas, the Cunningham Group has negotiated for an exclusive medical malpractice insurance program with an A-rated medical malpractice insurance company.

In our own practice, we saved a total of $13K a year by working with the Cunningham Group. When you sign up for discounted malpractice insurance with the Cunningham Group, you can expect the following:

An ability to save 40-60% off medical malpractice insurance.
An ability to work with a carrier who understands your DPC needs.
An ability to receive quality malpractice coverage.
An ability to receive coverage with an Atlas.md-endorsed carrier.

By receiving insurance through Cunningham, you’ll work with a company that is dedicated to serving your unique needs as a DPC practitioner. You’ll also work with a program dedicated to bringing DPC and concierge care into the mainstream. Once patients and business owners start to see that DPC and concierge care are very real and are a beneficial alternative to traditional practices, they’ll be more likely to participate in a DPC program.

When you’re ready to save money on your medical malpractice insurance, or if you have any questions about your options, check out the Cunningham Group today.

Posted by: AtlasMD

January 29, 2016

Download Our Direct Primary Care Survey

There’s nothing that gets us as excited as sharing, and since we just launched our helpful Direct Primary Care survey, we thought you might be interested in incorporating it in your own practice. The Direct Primary Care survey will help you understand your soon-to-be patients by gauging their interest in a DPC.

If you’ve been meaning to find new avenues in which to market and focus your attention, we think you’ll like our survey. It will help you identify any issues that potential patients have with their current providers, and you’ll be able to see how you can help eliminate and improve their situation with DPC.

Uncover valuable patient data with our DPC survey. You’ll find out the following info:

Whether potential patients were able to meet their previous year’s healthcare premium.
Whether potential patients are interested in lowering their health insurance premiums.
Whether potential patients are interested in having a $0 copay.
Whether potential patients have knowledge of other plans and opportunities available to them.

If you’re hoping to expand your practice, you can circulate this survey in your community, via Facebook and social media, via email, or at community centers. Gathering data on potential patients will help you understand the need for DPC practices in your community, of course, but it will also help generate interest in a DPC in your community.

Your Direct Primary Care practice relies on your ability to find and help new customers, and we think you’ll find this survey to be a great resource. Download our survey to start exploring your future customers’ needs. Download the Direct Primary Care Survey and start helping new patients today.> Want more ways to generate interest for your DPC? Check out our DPC Curriculum to see what else you can do to reach new and current customers.

Posted by: AtlasMD

January 19, 2016

Announcing the Atlas.md EMR Referral Program!

Refer a Friend, Receive a Discount.

Here’s the deal. By now, you know how much we love to share. Whether it’s savings, references or just plain good news, we want to tell you about it. And since us DPC folk tend to think alike we imagine you’re the same way.

Many of you have already told your Direct Care colleagues about the Atlas.md EMR – now we want to say thank you!! Introducing our brand new referral program. Now when you refer someone who signs up for the Atlas.md EMR, we’ll comp you one month toward your own account. In addition, the person you refer will receive a two-month trial period instead of the standard 30 days!

The season of giving might technically be over with, but we’re going to carry our gratitude for your support all the way through 2016.

So, spread the word and save some money! Click here for more details.

Posted by: AtlasMD

January 18, 2016

The Virtual Quality Myth. How DPC Changes the Game.

Quality seems good, right? Quality seems the like thing that we’re all after, right? Well, sort of! When it comes to EMRs, we’re on the right track. While the rest of the EMRs are tripping over themselves to comply with government regulations over quality, we’re able to pursue actual quality medicine above all.

It turns out that what has been a speculation for years (that government regulations distort quality by making overtesting and distortion of informed consent and overmedication – to name a few – a regular part of a doctor’s work day), has been proven to be a pervasive and perverse issue in the medical world, according to PLOS Medicine.

Virtual Quality Doesn’t Promote Health

This phenomenon is so common that it has a name — “virtual quality,” and it relates to the fact that applying rigid standards, regulations and “guidelines” might make sense statistically but they don’t actually apply to patients, and these rigid guidelines can actually produce harmful effects on patients. It seems counterproductive because it is. The whole point of guidelines should be to ensure a positive standard of practice, but the reality is that guidelines and PQRS’s actually reduce patient quality. According to Peter C. Cook, M.D.,

The notion that PQRS promotes quality care rests on the flawed assumption that a bloated federal bureaucracy, CMS, can be nimble enough to produce quality measures that keep up with the rapidly evolving state of scientific evidence. Reality contradicts that assumption. Published reviews in JAMA have determined that ‘most guidelines become outdated after 5 years.’ (Medical Economics)

Return to True Quality Care

And if that wasn’t enough to make you change your mind, consider the study published in PLOS Medicine, Quality Care that Matters, which states that the “current quality measures should be abandoned.” Obviously “quality measures should reflect meaningful health outcomes. Surrogate measures do not satisfy this principle. Clinical trial results are often not attained in the real world, and there should be evidence that quality measures do, in fact, substantially improve health outcomes across various locales and practice settings.”

DPCs Make a Real Difference

While this is bad news for standard medicine, it’s good news to all of the doctors and patients who subscribe to DPC. We believe in actual quality, not virtual quality, and that’s more meaningful to us than “Meaningful Use” could ever be!

When you’re ready to take the next step in starting your DPC practice, take a look at our curriculum to see how you can get started.

Posted by: AtlasMD

January 8, 2016

Proud to Work on Christmas.

It’s Christmas Day, and pretty much everyone you know is spending time with family and friends. They’re opening presents, attending a church service, sledding, and lounging by the fire after another giant meal. But you experience holidays a little differently. You’re hanging with your family and partaking in all the usual holiday traditions, sure. But you’ve had one eye on your phone all day, and not because you’re a social media addict.

You see, as Jack was opening presents he sliced his finger open with the scissors. Rather than spending the rest of the day sitting in the ER and stressing over the money that would have cost, he called you. You met him at your office and stitched him up – in just a few minutes, and for just a few bucks. He left with a big smile on his face; an hour later he sent you a picture of his young son sailing down the hill on his new sled for the very first time. His text said he’d have missed that moment if it weren’t for your quick action and availability.

Across town, Jill was shuffling her family into the car on the way to brunch when she slipped on the ice. Her ankle swelled up in a hurry, but not before she punched in your phone number. After walking her though a verbal questionnaire about her symptoms and the severity of the fall, you were able to determine it was just a sprain and that some Ibuprofen would do the trick. Jill let her husband take over the shuffling, and while kicking her feet up after brunch as you instructed, she and her daughter had a fantastic conversation that might not have happened if Jill had been ultra-mobile as usual.

In the Swinkle home, Grandpa Bob snuck into the pantry and devoured the rest of the jalapeño sausage… which gave him instant heartburn. When he confessed to his thievery, his daughter called you immediately to make sure the heartburn relief pill she planned on giving him wouldn’t interfere with his other medications. You reviewed his chart, did some cross referencing, and advised her to stay away from that particular heartburn relief pill. Instead, you recommended one that wouldn’t interfere with his existing med list – saving him a trip to the hospital later, and possibly even his life.

So yes, you are a teeny bit distracted today. But you’re grateful for the chance to care for your patients. Thankful for their trust. You might get a few calls on Christmas that pull you away from the holiday task at hand, but you wouldn’t have it any other way. They’re family, too. Your patients needed you, and because you truly understand the value of Direct Care, you were there for them today. Today and every day.

Merry Christmas to all you Direct Primary Care warriors. May you be ever reminded of the value you offer your patients, the medical community, and society as a whole.

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