Zip Clinic Urgent Care
Experity’s Proven Operating System Powers Operational Success
Since opening its doors in 2012, Zip Clinic Urgent Care has been committed to providing quality, affordable, convenient healthcare to the public at large. With continued success, Zip Clinic has recently expanded from Colorado and Kentucky into Montana. As they’ve grown their footprint in the industry, they have positioned themselves as a leader in urgent care medicine in the communities they serve.
Experity’s built-for-urgent care operating system has been an integral part of their success. And as a trusted business partner, Experity helped them to evolve with the industry and through the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Zip Clinic has been an Experity customer since day one. They’ve seen the industry grow, not only in size, but in its response to changing patient demands.
According to Zip Clinic Medical Director Nils Foley, the biggest challenge for urgent care has always been not only to provide quality healthcare, but to do it efficiently. “The key,” he says, “Is not just to get people in and out, but to do that in a way that is safe and friendly.”
Urgent care success requires seeing as many patients as possible, thorough and accurate documentation, and providing an exceptional patient experience. Throughout the clinic’s history with Experity, they have accelerated their commitment to these basic principles. But the need to keep up with changes in the industry and rise to meet patient’s evolving expectations is a day-to-day challenge.
We try to keep a good, positive atmosphere at work. When you have an EMR system that you have very few issues with, you can get things done quickly and efficiently, everybody’s going to leave happier.
To stay ahead of increased patient volume, Zip Clinic focuses on saving time without cutting corners. By using Experity’s EMR/PM, which is built to manage the specific demands of urgent care, they can move patients through each visit with efficiency. When visit volume skyrocketed due to COVID-19 testing, they were able to see a record number of patients — many through telemedicine appointments — and keep them happy. Their hardworking and dedicated team, combined with Experity’s solutions, helped them serve their community as a crucial part of the pandemic response.
According to Abby Buzzell, a physician’s assistant at Zip Clinic, “I don’t think we would have been able to see as many patients as we’re able to see if we didn’t have an effective EMR. When you’re seeing a hundred plus patients a day, you need an exceptional staff and an exceptional EMR. And I think Experity provides that software so we can deliver the best care.”
Abby is a big fan of new features launched by Experity over the last year including telemedicine functionality and concurrent charting because they help the staff save time and see more patients. “When you’re seeing a hundred plus patients a day, you need an exceptional staff and an exceptional EMR. And I think Experity provides that software so we can deliver the best care,” she said.
While the EMR and other new features make visits more efficient, giving providers and staff a complete urgent care operating system they can count on helps to power Zip Clinic’s success, says Foley.
“I have some experience using other systems in other clinics. As medical director, I spend most of my time with the electronic medical record. But Experity offers the entire practice management solution for an urgent care,” he said. And that makes a difference.
Foley and the Zip Clinic team have seen the evolution of Experity. Initially the challenges were to see 20 or 30 patients a day effectively and complete a visit in under an hour. In retrospect, that was pretty simple and easily met, said Foley. With recent changes in healthcare, especially the pandemic, things got more complicated.
Using the technology that Experity has developed over the last two years, and even the last six to seven months, gives Zip Clinic the ability to do most of the work electronically that was previously done manually, said Foley. With Experity, clinics can easily see 60 to 70 patients a day – and have seen up to 150. And they’re completing visits in well under an hour.
The Zip Clinic team highlighted the following key features of Experity’s operating system that help them help patients and grow their business.
Simplicity and ease of use – The integrated system built around an efficient EMR/PM lets them easily access all the information they need to complete a visit. Many staff can use the solution after only one day of training. “It was super easy, simple, and user-friendly,” said Christina Sawaya, Lead Nurse. “You have pretty much all the information you need on one page. You don’t have to go back and forth”
Fast, accurate electronic registration – Without electronic registration, it’s 15 to 20 minutes to get a patient into triage. If patients go online, complete the electronic registration, and upload required documents, staff can get them into the system and on the phone with our triage team in about five minutes.
Real-time insurance verification – Zip Clinic staff can verify insurance in less than a minute and collect copays before the visit to improve revenue realization.
Concurrent charting – The ability to have multiple people in the same chart at the same time, increases efficiencies for providers and staff – and reduces post-visit documentation.
Patient engagement – Zip Clinic can see more patients with features that allow real time communication with patients, more efficient scheduling, and a natural flow to registration.
Face Sheet – As Zip Clinic sees more patients without a regular primary care doctor, Zip Clinic is managing care for more patients with one or two ongoing medical problems. Face Sheet makes it possible for providers to see those patients effectively and safely in an urgent care setting. According to Foley, “If you would ask me eight years ago, I would’ve said primary care has no place in Urgent Care. That’s definitely changed.”
Telemedicine – Virtual visits were a game-changer for COVID-19 testing. Provider can access all the necessary information without switching between multiple screens or multiple computers. They can see patients faster than an in-person visit.
Teleradiology – The ability to take x-rays in-house and get results read by a board-certified radiology within minutes not only make diagnosis faster but makes patients happy.
At Zip Clinic, providers and staff have continued to improve their productivity with faster registration, patient throughput, and an integrated operating system that connects them with their patient from before they enter the clinic through billing and post-visit communications.
Their processes and systems were pushed to the limit at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they came through with flying colors – and with a satisfied staff and happy patients.
At the end of each high-volume day, when they’re done seeing patients, Foley asks his staff, “So how was today?” Their answer: “It wasn’t that bad.”
Being able to work efficiently, even when volume is very high, relieves some of the stress on the staff, and according to Foley, it’s absolutely vital to maintain staff morale. It’s one of the biggest challenges urgent care clinics face.
“When they first start doing it, they’re shocked when they look back and realize we saw 147 patients today,” Foley said. “And they realize they’re going to drive home and actually be able to come into work the next day without feeling so fatigued that they can’t imagine working three days in a row. Without the technologies such as telemedicine and the ability to navigate through an electronic medical record efficiently and accurately, I don’t think we could manage those kinds of volumes.”
At Zip Clinic, every day is a new opportunity to make the urgent care experience better for everyone tomorrow. Meeting and exceeding the expectations of patients is an important goal. “High patient satisfaction is always one of our big goals. Not just how patients necessarily feel right now or three weeks from now, but how we are going to be perceived one year from now or three years from now.”
That mentality and the drive to continue to improve urgent care for their communities make Zip Clinic a success.
See how Experity’s built-for-urgent-care solutions can optimize your workflows and help solve your specific business challenges.
