The Progressive Physician - Reviews
McKesson Practice Partner EHR Software Review E-mail
Written by Karen Corey   
Friday, 03 September 2010 12:19

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McKesson Practice Partner EHR Software gives the user all the necessary tools to efficiently manage a medical practice. At the core of this software is Bright Note Technology which uses single note synchronization technology. This allows for patient data to be instantaneously populated through the entire patient’s chart. This technology helps improve the efficiency of clinical reporting.

 In Use
The Practice Partner modules include Patient Records, Medical Billing and Appointment Scheduler. These modules can be purchased separately or all together. This system is designed to save time and effort when doing patient documentation. It provides single screen progress note entry and automatically inserts chart data into the note. There are provider dashboard’s that allows the user to see all information in one place. Practice Partner is a complete system that saves time and improves the work flow of any type of medical practice.

Technology employed
Practice Partner can be run on an ASP solution or a client server. It is available Oracle or Microsoft SQL database engines. Single or multiple applications can be run on a single database. The system is implemented by the company or one of their technical support partners.

Ease of use, configuration, and deployment
Practice Partner is easy to use.  A single module can be configured separately or the software can be fully integrated with other modules on a single database. The professional staff of McKesson or one of their partners will guide you through the process of configuring and deploying the software. They will provide installation, training and support for your system.

Recap
Practice Partner consists of three robust applications that can be used separately or together. The Patient Records provide an array of innovative tools to streamline patient documentation. The Medical Billing module is a practice management system that has tools to help efficiently run any type of medical specialty. The Appointment Scheduler module is a flexible solution to accommodate any type of scheduling needs. The Practice Partner is an integrated system that can handle the needs of any size medical practice.

There is a user community where users can share tips, ideas and tricks. There is also an active customer forum and online templates. This software has technology to give a medical practice a choice of data entry methods. It can be used with speech recognition software, touch pen, and works with handwriting recognition software also. Pricing varies depending on what modules and add-ons are purchased and how many licenses are required.

Advantages
User Friendly
Dashboards
Bright Note Technology
Single central database

Disadvantages
Cost of the system may increase depending on add-ons and the number of licenses needed.

My Opinion
Practice Partner is a robust system that has very innovative technology that allows the users to seamlessly navigate through the software. I was amazed at the powerful tools and dashboards in the application that made patient documentation quick and efficient. This is a comprehensive system that fits all types of specialties and any size of medical practice. If you are looking for impressive EHR software I would highly recommend Practice Partner.


Karen Corey
About the author:
Karen Corey is a freelance writer and researcher with over 10 years experience in marketing research and healthcare. She does reviews, articles, and blogs on a variety of topics and specializes in SEO and all types of software. She resides in Southern California.
 
Comments (9)
Implementation is key
9 Monday, 12 March 2012 14:06
End user for over 15 years
McKesson Practice Partner is by far the best EMR out there. It is by far more robust and configurable than any other EMR. That is also it's weakness... it is configurable. Once configured to your work flow, actually helps you see patients faster and better. Tech support has been challenging in the past for McKesson but you can escalate your needs if necessary.

Another strength is it's end-user community and also PPRNET (Practice Partner Research Network). This network allows you to do community based research and also allow you to network with other users on quality measures. No other EMR has this!
Another End User
8 Monday, 12 March 2012 12:44
Alan Falkoff MD
Having been a user of 3 EMRs since 1990, with PMSI --> Practice Partner --> McKesson Practice Parter (McKesson bought out Practice Partner a few years ago, after Practice Partner around for 25 years), I still say the MPP Version 9.5.1 and higher (they are now on version 9.5.2) are fully functional, very flexible EMR and integrated programs. I've seen and demoed many over the years and used 2 others prior to 2003. Practice partner has been overtaken by the requirements forced on it by Government MU regulations, just as many Vendors have. Due to this, tech support and development for many vendors has suffered over the past few years. Still a lot of success of EMR use relies on the physicians getting a good idea of their workflow, ability to alter the programs to their needs or their ability to adapt to the requirements of the EMR they have chose.
Avoid like the plague!
7 Thursday, 02 February 2012 16:16
Biller
Terrible product with terrible support! Our business has been crippled several times by their poor implementation and communication.

Constant failure to address know issues within their software. We lose a great deal of money thanks to these clowns.
Run away as fast as you can
6 Tuesday, 17 January 2012 14:37
Diana Bush
I was the one who research and decided 6 years ago to go with Practice Partner Software. This was prior to McKesson buying them out. I was always able to talk to a tech and resolve any problem. In the day it was the best on the market. As I write this I now have been on hold for 4 hours waiting for support to pick up the phone. I also have 2 emails and I also called on another phone so two lines are now on hold. Long gone are the days of excellent technical support. Save yourself the grief and run not walk away from this software.
McKesson Practice Partner is Terrible
5 Monday, 09 January 2012 17:01
Clinician
We have been using Practice Partner for the past 3 years and have only seen things get worse in regards to upgrades and service. We are an ASP site and our system breaks weekly. Calling in almost daily to get help and waiting hours at a time on hold. The latest upgrade broke more things than it fixed and we still can't scan any documents into our EMR- despite NUMEROUS phone calls to tech support & our account rep. Do NOT buy this system!
Don't even think about it.
4 Friday, 11 November 2011 20:15
PP 5yr user
A nightmare from day 1. We have been unable to get many of the features to work and support has been useless. Inept attempt to setup a lab interface with our hospital took over 3yrs and still does not work. We have finally decided to switch EMRs. I would be surprised if PP is still around in a few yrs.
Poor software for small practice
3 Wednesday, 09 November 2011 10:58
Kris
This software is great for large practices that have IT on staff. If you are a small practice, this is not the program for you. Creating templates can be cumbersome and issues have abound with the new versions. Tech support has become a nightmare with the purchase by McKesson. It does have potential as long as you have someone solely dedication to work on it.
McKesson Practice Partner Upgrades and Service
2 Friday, 07 October 2011 14:27
Bob Dozor MD
Since McKesson purchased Practice Partner service has deteriorated severely.

Recent Upgrades have generated nightmarish installation issues very poorly (not even really competently) handled by Service department
Not So Fast!
1 Thursday, 21 July 2011 15:26
End User
As a user of this product for the past several years I can tell you that for the past several months techical and sales support has been horrible.

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