EHR keys patient growth for Nebraska practice

Over the last 15 years, Jared Ray, director of operations at First Step Recovery, has seen plenty of change in the health care industry. Some of these changes have come with a smooth transition, while others have made him and his team feel as though they were jumping through hoops. So when it came time for Ray and his team to upgrade their process for managing health records, Ray hoped desperately that this change would be obstacle free.

“As an integrated care practice who likes to stay on the cutting edge, we were finding ourselves in the electronic shift from paper to electronic health records (EHR),” Ray remembers. “We saw the benefits of EHR, but felt the strain of paper charts and the technology required to make the leap, plus the burden of what that really meant when the nuts and bolts were considered.”

Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, First Step Recovery is a patient-centered, outcome-driven practice, providing quality education, assessment and treatment for people and their families. Patients face any number of difficulties, including challenges related to drugs, alcohol, relationships, domestic violence, gambling and mental or physical health issues. Ray said the variety of patient services First Step offers was part of the reason they looked to upgrade their system to EHR. “We needed a full practice management EHR that could incorporate as many of the unique facets of our practice into one universal system.”

Ray reviewed the qualities of several vendors and ultimately decided that the offerings from ICANotes best matched First Recovery’s needs. “I decided on ICANotes because of what it was at the time and the potential it had to offer.”

And since their partnership began, Ray says ICANotes has lived up to or exceeded that potential. “Since the onset of our relationship with ICANotes, they have been responsive and attentive to our needs, and they never made us feel too small or unimportant. Through the ups and downs they have always kept an open mind and an optimistic ‘pro-provider’ culture, which feels good on the receiving end.”

Jared Ray, Director of Operations, First Step Recovery

Ray also adds that even though the needs of First Step Recovery do not match the typical provider silhouette, ICANotes has taken the next step to adjust their offerings to fit the needs of the Nebraska-based provider. “They have really met every need with open arms and we use their software for almost everything in our practice.”

Now First Step Recovery is seeing the impact of that decision in ways that go beyond EHR. Ray says the integration of ICANotes software has allowed the practice not only to do more work but to provide more meaningful care as well. “I have been able to add support staff in the front office to handle the increase in patient scheduling and overall front office support. We are doing more work with more people in significantly better ways thanks to ICANotes software. Overall efficiency and effectiveness have improved across the board."

To learn more about how EHR solutions from ICANotes can help your practice, contact us today.