Eventually, when I started my own APRN company providing\nadvanced nurse practitioners to nursing homes and assisted living facilities, I\nknew I would need a system that could fulfill the needs of the providers\nwithout slowing them down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tried multiple electronic health records, such as\npractice fusion, Kareo, and more. All of these EHRs needed workarounds to get\nthe information I needed for our facilities and to the billers. It was apparent\nthat they weren’t created for providers working in nursing homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn’t until a friend recommended Gehrimed EHR for our\nlong-term care provider company. At first, when I tried to get reviews on their\nsystem, it was apparent it was companies trying to lead you to another EHR that\npaid them a commission. I couldn’t find an honest review that showed the good,\nthe bad, and ugly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first impression of GehriMed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When I first signed up with Gehrimed, I was set up and\ntrained by an implementation specialist from the company. The initial setup was\npainless because we didn’t transfer date from our other electronic health\nrecord except for the necessary demographic information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 I am not sure if Gehrimed has a way to take\ninformation other than demographics from other EHRs and transfer into their\nsystem. At the time, I didn’t feel it would be worth asking because we wanted\nto start using their system right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We did group training with the other providers in the office\nwith one of their trainers. They offered multiple opportunities to ask\nquestions and try out the system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We practiced using the system with “test patients”\nbefore documenting on “real” patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our implementation specialist was helpful enough to record\nour training and sent us a video of the training. We saved the video and used\nit to train APRNs who joined our company at a later date. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our company developed our own training videos that we felt were needed to fill the gaps. We made these videos, so we didn’t have to sit with each new provider to show them how to use the EHR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, our first impression of the Gehrimed system was\npositive. The providers who came into the training with a negative image of\nelectronic health records left feeling pretty good about the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gehrimed EHR usability over time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The more we used the Gehrimed system, the more our advanced\nnurse practitioners fell in love with it. The functionality and ease of use\nconverted even the most resistant provider into someone who loved the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the providers had minimal difficulty learning the\nsystem, and it took very little time to get them up to speed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost all medical providers started charting on one to two\npatients on the first day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of the week, they were charting in the system\nmore than half the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a few weeks, our medical providers were 100% on board and loving Gehrimed EHR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The system was easier to use over time as the patients were\nadded to the EHR. As data was added to the system, certain information that didn’t\nchange much carried over to future notes. By having specific nonchanging\ncomponents carry over, it increased productivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more the providers used the system, the more they became\ncheerleaders of the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenges with Gehrimed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There were some difficulties with the system. One of the\nbest but most challenging features was the “dragon dictation” that is\nbuilt into the system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you first start using the system, you need to figure\nout how to dictate into the EHR. Some laptops have built-in microphones, other\npeople use headsets, and the iPads built-in microphone made it very easy to\ndictate your notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there was a learning curve when it came to\n“teaching it” to recognize your voice and dialect. I found it best to\nmake corrects as I documented my notes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often the dragon dictation wouldn’t properly correct\nvocabulary, and I would be forced to add and train the words in the dictionary\nmanually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also the challenge of internet connectivity and\nusability of the system along with the dragon dictation. If you have a good\ninternet connection, the system works like a charm. However, if your facility\nis like many homes with limited connectivity, it can be challenging to dictate\nor type up your notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily, there is a built-in 15-minute delay that saves your\nnotes and turns red when connectivity is an issue. The screen turning red gives\nyou a warning to allows you to find an area with better internet coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits of the Gehrimed system<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you have a good internet connection, the built-in\ndragon will speed up the completion of your progress notes. The better you\ntrain the dragon system to work, the more efficient your charting will become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also the possibility to submit charges\nautomatically to the billing company. They offer the ability to integrate the\ntransmission of your CPT codes and ICD codes to your biller. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There will be charges associated with the HL7 interlink with\nGehrimed and other vendors. There is currently a high setup fee and then a\nmonthly charge to setup the HL7 interface. Make sure to look into the rates\nthey will charge before signing up to make sure it isn’t\ncost-prohibitive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the major pulses of the system is the ease of\ntraining new providers in the use of the Gehrimed system. The program is very\nuser-friendly and easy to navigate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The templates in individual sections of the chart are\nstraightforward to set up and utilize when charting. You will need to do a\nlittle research or trial and error to determine which template responses work\nfor you.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gehrimed is a cloud-based system that can be accessed from\nany computer with an internet connection. Gehrimed has an app that is\ndownloaded onto IOS devices and programs for Windows that you download to\naccess the system. With this easy download, you can easily access and update\nwhen available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The notes are not saved on your device, and the data will carry over wherever you log in. Not only is this convenient when going to multiple facilities, but it also helps protect your company against HIPPA violations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The progress notes are delivered to the facility via fax\nafter you sign the note. By having your notes faxed once you sign your note,\nyou won’t have to worry about printing them and filing. Gehrimed does all the\nhard work for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many times, we cut and paste our notes into the facility\nEHR. Cutting and pasting notes is very easy and quick to accomplish. Many of\nour facilities are requiring us to transfer our notes into their system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The notes will also come across in a clear and easy-to-read fashion. Therefore, the facility will be able to file an easy-to-read progress note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0At this point, your progress note will be faxed to the facility. This way, you won’t have to figure out how to get the note to the facility. This system has everything you need when it comes to a long-term EHR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have tried multiple systems that never seemed to “get\nit” They all would handle one problem but not address the other issues.\nGehrimed is one of the few systems that can handle the difficulties of long-term\ncare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to organizing your day, the system will allow you to track your daily census and determine who needs to follow up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gehrimed system will allow you to check to see when you last saw the patient. This way, if the patient hasn’t had a timely follow-up, you can evaluate the resident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the little thought of perks of Gehrimed is how easy it is to install. You can install the program on a desktop, Ipad, and more. Even a rookie can install the program without the use of an IT professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gehirmed recently switched over to Dr. First as their Erx\nprovider. They had used another system electronic prescription program in the\npast, which had significant limitations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their new prescription program is much easier to use with\nminimal limitations. You will be able to send your prescriptions without\ndifficulty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 For the most part, gEHRiMed is easy to use and\nnavigate. You will use a clean and straightforward interface that makes finding\nand starting new patient notes a breeze. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The support team is extremely helpful in solving problems\nimmediately or promptly looking for the answer. They take your suggestions\nseriously and look at the benefit of it for all users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 If you have a medical group with multiple providers,\nthe Gehrimed system allows each provider to have access to the other providers’\nnotes in real-time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will be able to run multiple reports on the visits your\nproviders have completed. The reports should be more than sufficient to keep\ntrack of your company metrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

Downsides of using Gehrimed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There isn’t the ability to integrate labs and studies with\nthe Gehrimed system. This means if you need the ability to order labs or\nstudies directly, you will need to fax orders or call in the orders manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0If you are looking for a program with a practice management program, then this isn’t the system for you. This system lacks front-end software to manage visits.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The built-in scheduling system is very limited and\ncumbersome to use. We stopped using it as a company due to the challenges of\nusing it properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are certain administrative tasks that some people feel should be handled by the user, which require a call to Gehrimed or the use of “community” support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people have complained about the length of time it takes to log in to Gehrimed EHR. As someone who runs a post-acute care company, I have grown to appreciate the built-in security features. It may take a bit to log in, but it helps prevent unauthorized logins to the EHR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Document Management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gehrimed recently started offering integrated Efax\ncapabilities with an additional associated cost. The Efax will allow you to fax\nor take pictures of labs or patient documents and upload them into the\npatient’s medical record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also review, annotate, and sign the documents and send outgoing faxes when needed. If you don’t wish to use this extra service, you can still upload documents manually or take a picture of your document using your iPad then upload it to the chart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gehrimed Cost<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The price of the Gehrimed system is on the high end. If it\nwere just the cost of the Gehrimed program, it would be fair. Once you include\nall the extras that you have to pay for the system becomes pricy for the\naverage medical company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gehrimed charges for the EHR and extra for everything else,\nincluding the integrated Dragon, Eprescribe, integrated billing with their\nsystem, MIPS\/Macra reporting, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 As you can see, the monthly cost when including the above can easily be 400-500 dollars per month per user. Even if you negotiate a reduced rate, you will still have to pay a hefty price to get access to the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even with the high price tag, many people feel it is worth\nthe cost because of the efficiency in charting and ease of use. If you can see\nmore patients in a day because of the ease of use, it may be worth every penny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are a small practice, not seeing a lot of patients\neach month, they do offer a reduced rate plan. If you go over a set number of\npatients, you will pay a higher rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also a charge for the linkup to the facilities,\nwhich includes a monthly fee. The monthly fee per setup can become very\nexpensive, depending on the number of facilities you cover. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If linking up via HL7 weren’t so pricey, it would be a great\nfeature that would probably get more people to sign-up with Geherimed. For now,\nwe just pass on this feature due to the high cost of implementation and\nmaintenance costs. HL7 has been around a while and isn’t a “high\nTech” propriety item that should cost this much, in our opinion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We find the price of the system works for our company due to\nthe improved efficiency of our providers. However, we are slowed down because\nwe don’t want to spend the money on the HL7 interlink with a monthly charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training\/implementation to use the system<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gehrimed is very user-friendly, and we find most of our\nproviders need very little training to get up and running. When you first\nstart, you will have implementation staff that is very helpful and spends time\nto train you and the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After you have been using the system for a while, and you\nare no longer in the implementation stage, the hands-on support will be\nminimal. This is why it is important to ask the trainer to record the online\ntraining you receive so that future employees can watch and learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will also want to have certain staff members who become\nfuture trainers in the use of the system. The staff at Gehrimed support are\naccommodating and usually answer questions quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We discussed the pros and cons of the Gehrimed EHR system in hopes of helping you make an educated decision. There are many other EHRs that claim to be great for long-term care medical providers. We have found that Gehrimed is one of the best, if not the best EHR’s for this setting. We have even had success using it in assisted living and residential home visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until there is another more cost-effective system that has many of the features as this system, we will continue using Gehrimed to efficiently document and manage our post-acute patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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