“People don’t answer their phones anymore. We can reach patients via Secure Text and get all the information they need.”
When you’re running a solo practice, maximizing time is everything.
Sharon Jeppson, RN, is both nurse and office manager for M. Terry Jeppson, MD, her husband’s women’s health practice. The doctor and six staff members treat more than 20 patients each day. They learned about Updox through their Practice Fusion EHR and use electronic document management and secure text to streamline office processes and patient communication.
The practice found efaxing from Updox to be both easy to learn and implement. The integration with Practice Fusion made it simple to review documents; sign, edit or reply to them; forward or fax back as needed and then file to the patient chart in just a few clicks. “We love that we’re able to easily see where the fax is in the process. Was the fax we sent received? What time did it go through? How many pages? Plus, having it all in a HIPAA-compliant environment is great peace of mind,” says Sharon.
The practice also appreciates saving money by cutting their costs for paper, toner and phone lines. “Updox truly is a significant savings for our business,” says Sharon.
As much as they value saving money, it’s the time they save with Updox that impacts the practice most.
“Text has been a great timesaver us. Patients love them. People don’t answer their phones anymore. We can reach them via text and get all the information they need. There’s no voicemail or phone tag. It’s so much less time-consuming.”
The practice does try to call patients once, to deliver test results or follow-up information. If they don’t connect, staff use Updox Secure Text to relay information in a HIPAA-compliant manner.
“Dr. Jeppson spends hours reviewing documents and calling patients to answer questions or deliver results. Now, he can review documents anywhere and text any information to patients. No more phone tag – it’s such a benefit.”
Saving time is important to practice because, as Sharon says, “Now we’re able to pay more attention to the details of taking care of our patients and that’s vital to how we run this practice.”
Sharon has great words of advice for other practices to considering the move to Updox. “Look at your current costs. What are you paying for paper, toner, shredding, cloud space and more? How many hours are you spending faxing or leaving voice mails? The cost benefit has to be significant enough to be worth the switch. Updox is for us, for sure.” “Other practices value the way our office functions and I know Updox is part of that efficiency.”
Adding Updox Telehealth
Like many other practices during the pandemic, Dr. Jeppson turned to telehealth to offer patient care. “We’re still able to connect with our patients for follow-up visits. Telehealth protects patients from needing to come to the office for certain types of visits and we were able to adapt other visits.
And patients have appreciated the service and being able to continue their visits with their trusted physician. “It’s definitely been a positive move for us,” says Sharon. “Patients have confidence in Dr. Jeppson and his availability to address their healthcare concerns via a video chat.”
Getting started was easy for the practice. “Since we already use Updox for secure faxing and texting, adding video chat just made sense. It integrates well with our Practice Fusion EHR and is HIPAA-compliant. That was important for us,” says Sharon.
The practice also appreciates that Updox Telehealth meets Medicare and CMS requirements for reimbursement in their area. “Even when exceptions made for COVID-19 expire, Updox still supports reimbursement requirements,” says Sharon.
Learn more about how Updox for Practice Fusion improves efficiency to make care more effective:
