AZCOMP Technologies IT - May 2021

AZCOMP Technologies IT - May 2021

855-556-4677 www.azcomp.com/it

MAY 2021

Empowering Small Practices to Deliver the Best Care

IT

STILL LOOKING AHEAD AFTER 20 YEARS AT AZCOMP, I’M STILL EXCITED

This May marks my 20th year working for AZCOMP. You might imagine that this milestone has been on the horizon for a while, inching closer and closer until it finally arrives with some disbelief. But the only true thing about that is the disbelief — because actually, it felt like it sneaked up on me! How have I spent two decades in this industry, and I still feel like it’s engaging, fresh, and always changing? At the same time, have I learned anything that is still valuable, given how different things are today than when I started? That’s the frame of mind I’ve had as I reflect on my time here. And I’ve realized that while things may not be the same, that’s kept me interested — and it also lets me cast an eye toward the future, which will be as different from today as things were even just 20 years ago. When I started at AZCOMP, the idea of Electronic Health Records (EHR’s) was not yet a reality for all practices. But it was coming, and it wasn’t hard to see. The only question was, how long would it be before most practices made the switch? From 2009–2012, the federal government (and, to some extent, the state governments) spent a huge amount of money and effort answering that question. The Affordable Care Act was the start of a long line of legislation and regulation aimed at the health care system in general. Those regulations first incentivized this transition with financial rewards to practices that went to EHR’s. But those incentives are mostly gone now, and many practices have only used EHR applications to meet the bare minimum requirements under the law or to get those incentives in the first place. It looked like we’d be stuck in a slow deadlock where practices had EHR but weren’t making full use of it.

But for my money, the biggest change will come from another direction entirely: the patients themselves and their behavior. If 2020 showed us anything, it was that the ability to do business remotely is no longer optional: Everything that could be done online or via the phone had to be done that way for safety and public health. Suddenly, practices that had actually embraced EHR technology found themselves in a better position than their peers who only had it to meet the law. They were able to work from home, keep patients out of the waiting room, make and check in for appointments digitally, and access important records at the drop of a hat. We’ve known for a long time that these new features and technologies probably wouldn’t go away after things went back to “normal.” If someone finds Zoom more convenient (or doesn’t have time to come in), then they’ll want to keep using it. If patients keep asking for this technology, providers will have to, well, provide . That’s an exciting place for AZCOMP to be because we get to help practices meet those challenges in a way that matches their workflow. When I look to the future, I see providers thriving with EHR technology at their disposal, helping them become more efficient in everything they do. And I see patients getting the full benefit of a health care provider who has “switched over.” Most exciting of all, though, is that I don’t know exactly what this will look like. I sit on the product advisory board and have for many years, which means I get to see and influence EHR technology as it’s developed, and one of the exciting things about being 20 years into my career is that we’re always meeting new challenges

in innovative ways. As we enter the third decade of the century — and of my time at AZCOMP — I can’t wait to see the new things we’ll bring to our clients and their patients as well.

And then, 2020 happened.

In my 20 years here, I have never had a year like that. We may not know the full effect for years, but I can already see the way things are heading — and it’s a very different future than we thought we were in for. New conversations were sparked about single-payer systems, universal basic income and housing, and the liabilities and duties of insurance companies. Any one of those topics could completely alter our field forever!

–Loree Olsen

855-556-4677 AZCOMP Technologies www.azcomp.com/it • 1

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APPS FOR THE REST OF US

Microsoft’s Power Platform Turns Everyone Into App Devs

Apps are the way of the future, and if you’ve ever looked at proprietary apps for businesses or websites with envy, you’re not alone. But a trio of tools on Microsoft’s Power Platform —

A wide department of human-intensive tasks can be automated and streamlined using workflow principles, which lets your people get back to doing the things that people are good at and machines aren’t. How is this possible? The truth is, PowerApps can be

Power BI, PowerApps, and Power Automate — are empowering average people and business owners with abilities previously only available to tech jockeys and app developers. PowerApps in particular is a robust, intriguing piece of software. The basic idea is simple: Let average folks build business apps without needing coding abilities, a computer science degree, or large amounts of cash to pay to someone who has the first two things.

as simple or complex as you want it to be. It’s a low- coding environment, but there are serious options for adding complexity and robustness to any app you want to create. Or you can keep things simple. It’s really up to you. We should be clear: Will it replace standard coding- based app development for professional app devs? Probably not — so don’t expect to be able to charge money for your app. It’s not designed for that.

Whether you’re trying to reach out to customers, clients, and patients or building something that’s just inside-facing to help speed up things around the office, PowerApps is a powerful tool to have in your box. In fact, for many light users, it’s the only tool they’ll need!

Instead, it’s there to save you money and time with processes you are already doing, and it’s got the flexibility to do so in a wide variety of fields and practices. That means it’s worth checking out and easy to dip your toes into. Who knows — with a tool this simple but this robust, you might end up a lot deeper than you expected.

Call our direct support line: 480-730-3055 Create a support ticket via email: [email protected] Learn more about how to get unlimited computer and networking support at AZCOMP.com/it. DOWNLOAD OUR FREE REPORT NEED NETWORKING OR COMPUTER HELP?

SPOTLIGHT ON KODY JOHNSON Kody Johnson still remembers the ad that sent him to our website, titled “Technical Support Jedi Wanted for Medical Software.” It appealed to him for several reasons, including the humor. “I have always enjoyed solving complex problems, helping/meeting new people, and getting to learn more,” Kody says. These are all good traits to have in our industry. Kody believes in the value of patience, too. “If you know me, I will always try to find a way to finish something as fast as possible. However, that is not always a good thing, especially in the job I have.” As he points out, you can’t rush to finish a service ticket or ignore what a customer says. When he’s not working, Kody is “usually at home with my puppy, Dixie. She is an 8-month-old English bulldog.” We wish him the best, and Dixie too!

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