Automated Patient Intake and Information Sharing

Butte Premier Physical Therapy (BPPT) is a thriving outpatient physical therapy clinic in the heart of the expanding healthcare campus of south Chico, California. With six full-time and one part-time physical therapist on staff, BPPT processes up to 1,400 visits per month.

Since 2017, BPPT has been using Kno2, integrated with Net Health® Therapy for Clinics (BPPT’s chosen electronic health record system).

The Challenge

Faxing, scanning and manually tracking inbound and outbound fax documents is a labor and time-intensive process.

Prior to using Kno2, BPPT spent an average of 15 minutes per patient on a taxing routine that included printing the plan of care, writing a cover sheet, feeding the record into the fax machine, stamping the paper copy with the date it was faxed, adding that record to the patient chart, following up with a signature, confirming the return fax, scanning the signed record and reattaching the new document to the digital patient file.

The volume of paper and toner used in printing all these multi-page documents was expensive, costing the practice more than $400 per month.

This process placed a heavy burden on administrative workers. The front office was constantly repeating this process, taking time away from the important work of greeting patients, scheduling, handling co-pays, answering phones and other patient-centered tasks.

The Solution

Kno2 is seamlessly integrated with Net Health® Therapy for Clinics. The integration allows the therapists themselves (not just the administrative staff) to complete patient records.

What used to be an 11-step process is now handled with just a few mouse clicks, all within the therapists’ familiar workflow. Everything is updated automatically within the software, and all documents are linked back to the original patient record.

No one must leave the main system to perform the function of scanning, sending and loading patient records. No patient data is left sitting on a desk.

When Kno2 was presented as an option to BPPT and they saw the potential for time and money savings, they instantly said yes. Initial conversations about the product began in October 2017. When BPPT decided to move forward with Kno2, the entire solution was up and running, with staff fully trained, by the end of the year.

The Results

Through Kno2, BPPT has eliminated an 11-step process at the front office. The front office no longer needs to manage the manual faxing and filing of patient care plans – that process is now automated.

This saves more than 10 hours of labor each week, eliminating more than 25% of a full-time employee workload. Client paperwork is more secure within an encrypted, password-protected user interface and no longer lying face-up on fax machines in a public-facing environment.

In addition to the value of time saved, BPPT is spending 75% less on printing and paper, which is a savings of more than $300 per month.

The front staff has shifted away from manually processing patient documents, allowing them to focus on patient-centered activity. They now have the time to ensure everyone who walks through the doors feels valued, has a positive interaction with the staff and gets all of their questions answered before they leave.

By utilizing Kno2, which is integrated within their Net Health® Therapy for Clinics EMR solution, BPPT has: