Nextech EMR software is a practice management program used by many dermatologists and plastic surgeons. Nextech came out with an integrated EMR solution that was designed to ease the headaches associated with seeing 40-80 patients a day (which most dermatologists are familiar with). The question is, is it really worth it and does it accomplish this directive?
We have interviewed dermatologists and practice administrators and found that the EMR solution does not focus enough on ease of use. As many of you know, the practice management program developed by Nextech is not for the computer illiterate. There are so many features and functions within the system, that it is easy to get lost inside of it without proper instruction. Even for the computer savvy, Nextech requires significant time investment to sufficiently learn its operation. This is something to consider for any practice planning on hiring someone or changing someones job description. You want to have an intuitive program that someone could just about learn on the fly. This is also true with Dermatologists.
Dermatologists just need something that will make them more efficient and accurate when notating and seeing patients. They do not need a program that will wash their car and teach them spanish in the process(although that would be nice). The verdict is still out as to whether the EMR solution offered by Nextech satisfies the ease of use question, so like always, you should see the program for yourself. We recommend that you visit a practice that is using the system and speak directly with the dermatologist to see how satisfied he/she is with the system. You also need to find out if the program caused any reductions in productivity and for how long. Bottom line is that you need to see the program in operation before making a decision and you need to make sure you are able to devote the necessary time required to learn it.
