Technological advancements have brought a lot of change in the healthcare industry. It has significantly affected the lives of patients and had a massive impact on almost all practices and processes among healthcare professionals. 

One example of this is the EHR. Thanks to the electronic health record, the medical world said goodbye to outdated paper records and now enjoys a more accurate database about patients. It enables access to records at the click of a button, increases interoperability, and streamlines workflows. Most importantly, it allows for a holistic view of the patient’s health, leading to better diagnosis and care. 

Technology is supposed to make life easier. Clinicians should be spending more time with their patients than updating their digital records, whether it is EHR or EMR. 

¹In 2017, several health news articles reported that doctors spend more than 50% of their workday on EHR tasks. ²In January of this year, the number is down to 16 minutes per patient visit.

That may not seem like a lot of time, but if you add it up, that is still a significant portion of time taken out of a physician’s day. Time spent on an EHR means time taken away from seeing and treating patients. 

ThoroughCare – Allowing Clinicians to Spend More Time Caring for Their Patients

Fortunately, care management companies like ThoroughCare offer a much better solution. 

ThoroughCare is a health care software company that seeks to enhance the clinicians’ EHR experience. It offers healthcare professionals assessment tools so they can better engage and care for their patients. 

I had the opportunity to interview Earl Hurtz for the Outcomes Rocket podcast. Earl is the Chief Operating Officer at ThoroughCare. As Chief Operating Officer, he provides leadership and oversight for numerous diverse business functions, including product strategy and development, contracting, strategic partnerships, business development, and investor relationships.

‘We’re a provider of a tech-enabled platform service and really were all about simplifying clinical staff workflow and driving healthier outcomes targeted toward the Medicare population.’ Earl explained about ThoroughCare.

The company was initially built to help health professionals assess their patients in a more streamlined and effective manner.

‘In the early part of 2015, he (Dan Godla – CEO) started fielding phone calls from a number of groups or health care providers that he had been working with who were introducing him to a recently introduced program CNS called Chronic Care Management Program. The Chronic Care Manager program is an opportunity for providers through support from clinical systems such as medical assistance or any staff under the physician’s clinical staff on positions or directions to provide non-face to face engagement with their patients. Dan took note of some of the opportunities provided through chronic care management. So, Dan started to pivot the platform a bit and allowed for some of the functionalities to meet the requirements that were stipulated per CMS association with the program. And then we were off and running and we started to gain a lot of traction in terms of signing up new practices to utilize our platform and helping them manage their chronically ill population outside of the office.’ Earl explained the slight adjustments the company has made to focus on CNS. 

One in four adults has two or more chronic health conditions. In the move to value-based care, in 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began paying separately for chronic care management (CCM). This program provides services that are outside of the personal face to face visits. It focuses on the continuous relationship of the patient to a designated member of the care team. 

Thorough care shifted to CCM support and provided clinicians with intuitive and streamline tools so doctors can spend more time caring for their patients and less time figuring out troublesome technologies. 

Providing Excellent Care to the Most Vulnerable Population

ThoroughCare is a complement to the EHR. It adds tools clinicians need to maximize the use of EHR. Its patient-centered care plan provides Care Coordination, Health and Wellness, Transitional Care, Remote Monitoring, System Integration, and Time Tracking and Billing. 

According to Earl, ThoroughCare can integrate with pretty much any EHR platform, giving the clinicians the extended ability to provide the best care services to the most at-risk population.  With Covid19 continually spreading havoc all over the country, the older and chronically ill patients are at higher risk and therefore require more support. ThoroughCare’s platform offers to support the Medicaid population’s needs. 

Delivering an Affordable and Efficient Way to Maximize Care

Aside from the smooth coordination and improved quality of care, ThoroughCare also offers a unique payment structure. It employs different pricing models, adjusting and customizing your payment according to just the services you need and the engagement of your clients. Earl explained it succinctly, ‘This is a way to move people into a better state of health, but also to introduce more financial solvency to your practice and potentially allow you to keep it.’

Tech-enabled companies like ThoroughCare helps maximize the care you provide to your Medicare population, and it maximizes the payment associated with the time you invest. 

Listen to my full interview with Earl when you click here: https://outcomesrocket.health/thoroughcare/2020/05/

¹https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/practices/primary-care-doctors-spend-more-than-50-workday-ehr-tasks

²https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/practices/for-each-patient-visit-physicians-spend-about-16-minutes-ehrs-study-finds