How Choosing the Right EHR Helped Our Practice
- 15 November 2019
- Blog
eClinicalWorks
![UrbanHealth-header-848x424](https://www.eclinicalworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/UrbanHealth-header-848x424-1.png)
Thirteen years ago, Urban Health Plan made the switch
Since our partnership began, our practice has gone through a period of growth and development that mirrored eClinicalWorks’ expansion as an EHR company. After beginning our strategic partnership with eClinicalWorks, we expanded from 3 health centers to 11 health centers and 12 school-based clinics.
The ways that we were able to implement and use the EHR allowed us to improve care by assuring that all of our patients, no matter their location in the Urban Health network, were connected.
At Urban Health Plan, data and a healthy community are intertwined. We believe that to improve the health of communities, we have to know exactly how our organization is doing. So, if the data shows that things are working well, we’ll continue to do those things; if the data says otherwise, then we’ll find the means to improve ourselves.
The flexibility and architecture of the EHR has allowed us to run customizable reports and manipulate data to try and assure the best outcomes.
The use of tools in the EHR like eClinicalWorks Messenger Campaigns has been instrumental for the success of our organization. Messenger Campaigns allows patients to cancel their appointments, immediately opening a slot and keeping our workflow moving smoothly and efficiently. We use the tool to send out messages to patients and have seen a 14% increase in our colon cancer screening rates.
We also have been able to document Urban Health Plan’s teaching kitchen in eClinicalWorks. At Urban Health Plan, we have installed a state-of-the-art kitchen where patients can be taught how to prepare healthy meals. By leveraging the software, we were able to look at the patients who have attended the classes and compare their outcomes to people who haven’t.
We’ve also tried to make an impactful difference in the communities that we serve. We have created a workforce development center, helping people gain their high school equivalency degrees, and teaching them how to find employment and improve their financial security.
In 2009, we were recognized with a HIMSS Davies Award for excellence in the implementation of healthcare IT. Ten years later, we continue to push ourselves in building a healthy community. We’ve seen lots of very good, exciting things over the last 45 years and we’re looking forward to our 50th anniversary. In the years to come, we want to figure out how we can continue to impact the community, not only with healthcare, but also by addressing all the Social Determinants of Health.