I have used multiple electronic anesthetic record systems (Docusys/Docuject, Draeger Innovian and Picis Anesthesia Manager) and would say Cosalient EHR is by far the easiest to use and the most user friendly. I will try and hit the highlights as to why I favor Cosalient EHR versus the other systems I have used.
Learning Curve: Very short with Cosalient EHR. After about 15 minutes with minimal training I was able start and finish a case without difficulty. This is not the case with [redacted] and [redacted] which require several hours of training in order to achieve basic competence. Cosalient EHR is also intuitive, meaning if you can fill out an anesthetic record and use a PC/MAC effectively you can use Cosalient EHR.
Data Entry: With Cosalient EHR you can point the cursor, type a medication and dose and be finished. The other systems all require you to go through several menus to select the medication and a dose and in the end takes about 4 times as long as it should. [Redacted] and [redacted] use touch screen interfaces that makes interacting with the record fun at first, until you realize how frustrating it is when the screen lags, becomes uncalibrated or breaks down and you are unable to enter data with a keyboard/mouse. Data entry on Cosalient is reliably easy with a keyboard/mouse and does not break down like the other systems.
Reliability: Cosalient EHR has been very reliable and has not crashed or required a reboot of the computer. [Redacted] and [redacted] tend to freeze often requiring rebooting of the machines resulting in loss of data.
Printout of Anesthetic Record: Like others have said, Cosalient EHR prints a neat and legible anesthetic record, whereas [redacted], [redacted] and [redacted] do not.
Compatibility: ....Cosalient EHR is also very compatible with a wide range of PC and MAC desktops/laptops with its very reasonable system requirements. This allows Cosalient EHR to be installed on portable laptops and taken to various surgery centers and offices without the need of a large desktop and various adapters.
Jamie Kim, MD
"In my current practice we use two different anesthesia EHRs. In the main hospital, Picis Anesthesia Manager is utilized while at several of our ASCs and offices, we use Cosalient EHR.
[Redacted] is very cumbersome to use in all respects save the collection of vital signs. In addition, it is extremely difficult to navigate as a record of review as there are multiple pages of data to sift through.
Cosalient EHR, on the other hand, LOOKS exactly like a real anesthesia record on the computer AND in print. It clearly was designed with the clinical anesthesia record in mind making it very easy to enter data, follow trends and, importantly, review later. One of its best features is that it is completely customizable for both the individual practitioner AND the type of case. That makes data entry very easy and efficient and enables me to spend more time caring for my patient. Cosalient EHR is truly practitioner friendly."
James Larson, MD
"The Cosalient EHR is extremely user friendly and intuitive, unlike another anesthesia recording system that exists in our hospital. Furthermore, the Cosalient EHR record is identical to the written record previously used, providing a single snapshot of all the pertinent information. Thus, our medical consultants (intensivists and other specialists) are able to easily interpret the concise data presented on the Cosalient EHR, which is certainly not the case with the other system.
I also love the Cosalient Status Board! It provides our group with an extremely efficient means of communicating with each other throughout the day, ensuring that our anesthetic coverage is seamless throughout all of the locations we serve."
Dorothy Ling, MD
The Cosalient EHR is a gem! It is the only EHR I have used that actually makes my documentation life easier. The record is elegant, clear, concise, and easy to review. The ease with which data is entered and displayed allows me to focus more on my patient and less on filling in boxes or toggling between cumbersome menus and lists. Learning to use Cosalient EHR is easy, even for folks that are “software challenged.”
The Cosalient Status Board is absolutely essential. I don't know how my group ever functioned without it! By streamlining information and communication, it allows every member of the group to participate in real time manpower solutions, saving time and administrative costs. Our improved efficiency and responsiveness is not lost on our customers, to be sure!
Shelley Agricola, MD
"I have been using Cosalient EHR for a little over 3 years, creating more than 2200 anesthetic records during that time. By way of background, I left hospital based practice 8 years ago to work in an orthopedic physician group's privately owned outpatient surgery center. When I was given the opportunity to use Cosalient EHR, I readily accepted. Everyday that I have used it since has confirmed the wisdom of that decision.
I later learned from some of my hospital based friends that the EHR's purchased by their hospital were cumbersome at best, time consuming to use and a distraction from direct patient care. For my practice, the biggest negative of their anesthetic EHR was when there was need to print out a copy. Cosalient EHR is one page for my average case and looks like a normal record. The hospital EHR would run several pages for the same time frame and not even look like an anesthetic record as we know it.
From my prospective, some noteworthy features of Cosalient EHR:
Ease of use: After a very short learning curve, the program is simply intuitive. Just looking at the basic form, it is quite obvious what and where information needs to be entered for the case. Data entry is easy via the vital signs palette, and even easier if the monitor is compatible with the program for automatic vital sign entry. If vitals signs entry is delayed, a very prominent warning is displayed to encourage addressing that issue.
Customized templates: The user can create customized templates that are unique for that user. For example, in my practice, most patients receive a general anesthetic with the use of an LMA. The template that I created for that case automatically fills in everything that I usually use or do in the appropriate locations on the record. If the patient is also going to have a peripheral nerve block, I select the template for the block, and that information is also put into the record in the appropriate location, in addition to the information for the general LMA that is already there. If I need to change something about the block, I can delete that portion and type in what I did. The program automatically incorporates the new information into the body of the template seamlessly. I find this to be a huge time saver, especially when doing several, short cases, allowing more time for patient care rather than record keeping. With a well conceived template, all necessary information is on the record, even when pressed for time.
Legibility: The printed record looks just like a handwritten record, except it is typed in a very readable font. The surgeons and nurses all commented very positively about that feature, being so easy to read and understand by everyone. It was my billing manager who was the most excited. She wrote to me as soon as she received the first faxed copy. She hoped that I would continue using the program as it would make her interaction with insurers much easier and wished that all of her clients could use the program.
Forensics: I like the ability to do an electronic signature, but the truly impressive feature is a layer in the electronic form that is not immediately apparent that presents information that provides a tremendous amount of documentation that could assist in a legal defense. Even with the brief demonstration that I saw, the amount of information was impressive.
Time line: There is a vertical, blue time line that moves horizontally across the record, in real time. The user can see when the next set of vital signs are due, if manually inputted. Any gaps in recording vital signs are very obvious. When the case takes longer than fits on the record, the time line automatically moves over to an already prepared second page, which is already labeled as page 2. The user can toggle back and forth between multiple pages of that record.
Document management: The program automatically makes ongoing backup copies of the current record, which can be so important for peace of mind. The document manager has many other attributes that I have not fully utilized, such as being able to actually see each record as you scroll down the list, to visually find the one you want.
My needs are so much less than for those who work in a hospital, that I know that I have only touched on a few of the capabilities of this amazing program. I am very confident in saying that anyone who uses this program for more than a few records will never want to use anything else, especially if it means going back to putting pen to paper."
Craig Griffiths, MD
"In the past couple of years, two products have completely revolutionized my anesthesia practice; Cosalient Status Board and Cosalient EHR.
Status Board has greatly improved my anesthesia group's efficiency. It easily saves us one to two FTEs per day. In addition it allows us to provide more timely service on the Obstetric floor. That has resulted in improved patient and hospital satisfaction with our group.
Cosalient EHR is hands down the best EMR I have ever used in the operating room. It's so intuitive that it barely requires any training no matter what degree of computer literacy you possess. Compared to [redacted], Cosalient is much more stable, provides a more recognizable and practical anesthetic record and does not require anywhere near the technical support to install and maintain. After using Cosalient EHR for three years, I cannot imagine returning to a paper record.
My Cosalient EHR anesthetic record is a much better record than any paper record that I have produced. I would feel much better defending myself with a Cosalient EHR record than with my old paper record. My Cosalient EHR record is far better than my old paper record in that it is completely legible, thorough and professional in appearance. With Cosalient EHR there are no more lost paper records because I can always retrieve prior records from the data base. I find Cosalient EHR extremely helpful in emergencies because it frees me up to focus on taking care of the patient rather than spending valuable time charting."
John Costello, MD
As a regional provider of professional Anesthesia Billing & Practice Management services, SupportMed interacts daily with an array of anesthesia EHR products used by our many clientele and facilities. We can state, without exception, that our experience with the Cosalient™ EHR product has been excellent. We find its output format, data quality, and data usability to be across the board "superior". Cosalient™ EHR has been an outstanding solution for our clients who have implemented it and makes our job easier on the billing side. We give this product a strong thumbs up!
Jeff Cysewski, CPA, President/CEO
SupportMed, Inc.
Stop me if you've heard this one. The OR front desk needs to add on an urgent case and asks you to find an anesthesiologist to cover it. The printed schedule says one of your colleagues should be finishing a list soon, but he doesn't answer the phone in the OR and after he finally answers his page, he tells you there are add-ons in his room. The charge nurse at the surgery center doesn't know who's in what room and doesn't have time to find out. After several minutes of phone and beeper tag, you call in a colleague from home. Twenty minutes later, just as he/she arrives, the person covering the plastic surgeon's office strides into the office reporting that his last case was canceled. As your home-returning colleague glares at you, you think "I wish someone would figure out a way to know where everyone is!"
Well someone has! Using that new-fangled thing called the Internet, Kuo Software's Cosalient Status Board allows everyone in all your anesthetizing locations to know where everyone else is and what obligations may or may not need to be covered. Need to page your anesthesia tech? Need to deliver a timely message to the entire department? Forgot which weekend you're on call next month? Cosalient Status Board has it all covered.
In my opinion, the use of Status Board ranks right up there with the LMA in terms of making my practice of Anesthesia more efficient and enjoyable.
Cosalient EHR was designed by a practicing anesthesiologist, and it shows. Like the Glidescope and the Ultrasound, it is a tool designed to make what we do easier and more efficient. Most EHRs are DATA-centric: "We've got to file every single piece of all this information those machines generate!" Cosalient EHR is PHYSICIAN-centric: "What's most important to document, how can that be done quickly and unobtrusively and how can it best be communicated?" An anesthesia record is not a depository of data to be mined, it is a way to give practicing anesthesiologists both a snapshot and detailed picture of a patient's anesthetic course. In my opinion Cosalient EHR is the ONLY electronic record able to accomplish that.
Murray Urquhart, MD
"Wow! I'd almost forgotten how elegant your EMR is, and what a pleasure it is to use it in the OR!"
Joseph Collello, MD
I cannot give high enough praise for Kuo Software's Cosalient Status Board and Cosalient EHR. Designed by a practicing anesthesiologist who understands the needs unique to this specialty, these products provide beautiful solutions for daily schedule management and intra-operative anesthesia record keeping.
Status Board allows our anesthesia group to easily communicate and keep track of one another across many different anesthetizing locations. At a glance, one can see our daily call positions, working status and whereabouts. Status Board also provides instant access to important items such as daily assignments, monthly call schedule, personnel contact information, anesthesia tech support, the hospital's patient database, vacation schedule, clinical reference material, workload statistics, even local traffic. Status Board has been an invaluable addition to our practice, greatly increasing efficiency and allowing us to tame a logistical headache. I don’t know how we functioned without it.
Most of the time “EHR” is considered a dirty word, not so with Cosalient EHR. Cosalient EHR is exactly what an EHR system should be: easy to use, intuitive, a clinical aid rather than hindrance, and provides an anesthetic record that is actually readable and useful for anesthesiologists who provide future care to the same patient. It looks and works like the anesthetic record that we are all used to. Cosalient EHR's ease of use belies its underlying sophistication and additional capabilities such as infinitely customizable individual user templates and the ability to incorporate EKG tracings into the anesthetic record. I cannot imagine a more well designed, anesthetic EHR.
Kevin Fujinaga, M.D.
"As a Manager of a billing office, I have been coding anesthesia records for 20 years. Cosalient Electronic Health Record certainly has allowed me to send charges to production faster. Records are never returned to the physician to decipher handwriting, verify anesthesia times or if pain blocks were administered. Cosalient EHR allows thorough documentation with all its cross checks.
Often with handwritten records, I would run into cases having concurrency problems with overlapping of anesthesia times. To correct this, the record would be given back to the physician or I would pull the surgery schedule and all cases the physician had done for the day would need to be reviewed. If manual records are not clearly marked to capture all invasive monitoring techniques, there is a possibility of lost revenue for an anesthesia group. With the clarity of Cosalient EHR, there is never doubt that the coder is capturing all billable codes. I especially like Cosalient EHR because what is generated and turned in to me makes sense. It looks like an "anesthesia record", but clean and legible.
I can also contrast Cosalient EHR against another EHR we code from. Sending a printed anesthesia record to insurance carriers is sometimes necessary to get a claim paid. For a 2 hour case, Cosalient EHR prints on 1 page where as the other EHR we code from prints on 4-5 pages for the same 2 hr case. Visually, that other EHR does not even look like an anesthesia record."
Janet McDaniel, Office Manager
"The thing that sets Cosalient EHR and Cosalient Status Board apart from the other medical software out there is that the Cosalient programs were designed from the start with the end user in mind. The Cosalient EHR looks and acts just like a paper anesthesia record. Entering information is simple and intuitive. With Cosalient EHR, I spend less time fussing with my documentation and more time attending to my patient.
That same simplicity of operation characterizes the Cosalient Status Board program. Our anesthesia group consists of 35+ members working simultaneously in several different locations. Cosalient Status Board works as a centralized communication center to help coordinate our daily staffing needs. Our members use laptops and smart phones to access the Status Board website and are thereby able to keep abreast of schedule changes as they happen. Cosalient Status Board is a vital part of our anesthesia group’s daily operations and I can’t imagine having to be without it."
Ted Manullang, MD
"In my anesthesia practice we use two different computerized anesthesia records since we work at different sites. The amount of time spent typing (time away from the patient) is remarkably less with Cosalient EHR than the other computerized record. Even though we use a computerized anesthesia record, we still have to print out a copy for the charts. The Cosalient EHR printout is a million times better than the other system we use! I HIGHLY recommend Cosalient EHR!
I cannot begin to describe how great Cosalient Status Board is! In my anesthesia group we cover multiple surgical sites, and communication between members is essential. If my room is running late and I need to find coverage for another case it is easy to do by posting it to the status board. Our group has a very good reputation with our surgical colleagues and I think the status board has a lot to do with that since it keeps us very organized & efficient."
Tara Reimers, MD