PatientLink
The Challenge
How often have you found yourself completing a form before a medical appointment, only to be asked the same questions when you finally see the doctor?
And how many times a day must a clinic’s intake professional have to manually enter data into a patient’s Electronic Health Record (EHR)?
Handwritten forms take an ample amount of time to complete, and even more time for staff to key into a computer. According to PatientLink Enterprises, Inc. there is a better way.
PatientLink’s patented method reduces the time it takes to enter patient data into a health organization’s EHR. PatientLink says it vastly improves workflows and allows healthcare providers more time for patient engagement.
The Solution
The company cites that the key to their success is a well designed, customized “bubble” intake form like those used in standardized testing, together with reliable printers such as the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-C5790 multifunction printer and fast scanners such as the Epson DS-320 portable document scanner or the Epson DS-530 color desktop document scanner.
“Epson is as good as or better than anything else on the market, at the lowest price point.” – David Lee, Director of Operations
According to David Lee, director of operations at PatientLink, the highly innovative system provides a fast, cost-effective way to enter data into an EHR. On average, it can take 10 to 15 minutes or longer for clinic staff to manually enter a patient’s information into the EHR. PatientLink says its automation process captures and sends patient data into the EHR, reducing the process to 10 to 15 seconds.
Lee went on to state that the process is so quick, doctors can have a patient’s complete medical profile on the computer screen during the appointment. PatientLink sets the standard for speed and accuracy in the medical industry, according to Lee.
PatientLink currently has integrations with GE Healthcare, Allscripts and Greenway, and is in discussions with several other EHR companies that are interested in enhancing its technology.
Once a health organization chooses to implement the PatientLink system, a team from the organization will determine the exact data they need to gather from their patients. The goal is to standardize intake questions and answers, so the client will seamlessly and accurately collect all necessary data from its patients. PatientLink then uses the content provided by the organization to develop custom and standardized intake forms.
“We know Epson is a company we can trust.” – David Lee, Director of Operations
Once the development process is complete, PatientLink then installs the software and intake form configuration on the client’s local or cloud-based servers. When needs arise, they also provide clients with hardware to print and scan the customized intake forms.
Lee says the company is “hardware agnostic,” meaning their software will work with any document scanner and printer the client may prefer. However, in instances where PatientLink supplies the hardware, they partner with Epson. “We chose Epson partly because they are very easy to work with, but mainly because Epson is as good as or better than anything else on the market, at the lowest price point.”
The Results
“We integrate with many different hardware brands since many of our end users want to use our software with their existing hardware, rather than sourcing new hardware from us,” Lee explains.
“We know Epson is a company we can trust,” says Lee. “Epson offers durable scanners we’re comfortable with sending to our clients because they are reliable, and if there is a problem, we can get a replacement fast. We also appreciate that the scanners are affordable; that added benefit makes it possible for us to provide them to our clients at no additional charge.” PatientLink considers this a “win-win” for everyone in all facets of the process.
“As you can imagine,” he adds, “a large clinic that sees as many as 1,000 patients a day will be printing thousands of our custom forms every day. We need a good printer, as well as one that has the capacity to handle a large workload. Epson easily meets those two vital requirements.”
The Epson WF-C5790 fits the needs of busy healthcare environments because it features the next generation of inkjet printing technology, PrecisionCore. And unlike other inkjets, it uses Epson Replaceable Ink Pack System technology that delivers enough ink to print up to 5,000 ISO pages without changing the ink packs. This unique technology helps Epson provide up to 45 percent lower total printing costs versus color laser.
Lee says the Epson-PatientLink partnership has been positive. “Every time a client comes to us and requests different hardware, I talk to them about Epson. I tell them it’s what I know and trust. Also, once they realize how much money it’s going to save them, they always choose the Epson. When I follow up with them later, they always say, ‘From now on, we want the Epson.’”
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