Medical Net Systems: Patient Centered Medical Home, Practice Management Software, EMR Software, Electronic Medical Records

Up to now, there have been two basic methods of taking a medical history: the interview process and the patient questionnaire. In the interview process, the health professional asks a question and based on the patient's response, asks a series of follow-up questions. This method can produce a comprehensive history, provided the health professional has the time to ask the appropriate follow-up questions. The problem with this method is that it is very time-consuming and therefore costly. When the health professional has limited time or forgets to ask all the pertinent questions, then the quality of the history suffers.

The patient questionnaire is filled out by the patient; the health professional is not involved in the process. However, the questionnaire produces a very superficial and poorly organized history. Usually the patient will check his or her symptom(s). There is no in-depth exploration of that symptom. For example, if a patient indicates he or she has diarrhea, the additional dozen follow-up questions about diarrhea are not asked. If all the appropriate follow-up questions for each symptom and disease were on the questionnaire, the questionnaire would be hundreds of pages long. Finally, the completed questionnaire provides the physician with a disorganized list of checks scattered throughout the questionnaire.

MNS PGMH combines the best aspects of both history taking methods into a revolutionary new paradigm. The patient completes the medical history prior to seeing the physician. The questions are self-explanatory and can be answered by most people. Unlike a questionnaire, MNS PGMH allows the patient tell his or her story, fears, and concerns in his or her words, thus giving you better insight into the patient. When a patient indicates he or she has a symptom or medical condition, MNS PGMH will ask the appropriate follow-up questions, just like the health care professional would. Thus a comprehensive medical history tailored to the patient's complaints is generated. Finally, PGMH displays the patient's history in a well-organized, concise report.