Phillip Dahan, MD, CM, FACS

“patientNOW…I Love It”, declares Dr. Dahan.

When asked about his experience with patientNOW’s electronic medical record (EMR) software, Phillip Dahan, M.D., C.M., F.A.C.S., says, “I love it.” Not only does it reduce human error, he explains, but it also slashes his practice’s paperwork by 85%.

As medical director at Advanced Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in Reno, Nevada, he chose patientNOW in 2012 after an extensive search for the right solution for his prestigious aesthetic practice.

“I cringe when I think about how we used to use paper charts before patientNOW,” says Dr. Dahan. “It took so much time to retrieve records and locate misplaced paper charts.Not to mention all the clutter of paper and worn-out pages in the charts. Now I have instantaneous and universal access to all the electronic records in my office regardless of where I am located. ”

Dr. Dahan also likes the ease and precision of inputting information into patients’ records that patientNOW allows. By integrating Dragon NaturallySpeaking, he now quickly completes the encounter note while his patient is still in the consultation room. And since patientNOW automatically populates all the demographic information on the note, he doesn’t need to retype the patient’s name, or any other information that Dragon may misinterpret.

Moreover, the system immediately files the note, so it’s available to other staff members for reference. In one instance, “A patient whom I referred to a dermatologist called the dermatologist’s office for an appointment from our waiting room. Our front desk was able to e-fax the note I had just created in patientNOW with all the other pertinent patient data before the patient left our office. We even e-fax our prescriptions through patientNOW. Now that’s efficiency!”

Dr. Dahan is also impressed with how quickly the system works. “Going from one field to another is instantaneous.” Unlike a purely cloud-based solution that depends solely on available Internet bandwidth, patientNOW responds very quickly in delivering large data files, such as patient before-and-after photo galleries. And he still enjoys remote access to all of his practice information wherever there’s an Internet connection.

patientNOW’s support and training have been excellent as well, says Dr. Dahan. “Our trainer, Lauren, takes a very commonsense approach to training our staff.”

Often, he notes, trainers will teach at a technical level that is far above the staff’s comprehension. “But because Lauren has worked at a practice, she understands how to communicate the practical application of patientNOW.”

Support has been equally impressive. “I speak to many doctors about their EMRs,” says Dr. Dahan. “They all have significant problems – even nightmares – with their systems. But I can honestly say that I have far more positives to report than negatives.

The software is technically well-written, so even when there is a glitch, the support team is very responsive and able to fix it quickly. And being an HHS-ONC certified EMR, with the help of Haley, our Meaningful Use Specialist; we just successfully submitted for our first EHR Federal Stimulus Reimbursement. I understand that no software is perfect, but I am confident that the patientNOW team is dedicated to making patientNOW the best EMR solution in the aesthetics business.”

The bottom line for Dr. Dahan is that with patientNOW, “I get to go home on time because I no longer have to finish my notes at the end of the day. And during practice hours, I see more patients and spend more quality time with them. patientNOW has had a very positive impact on our practice and we look forward to using more of its applications and future enhancements.”