AAFP Study: Physician Satisfaction Nearly Doubles on Elation Health's EHR

Independent research by AAFP's Innovation Lab shows using the Elation platform "dramatically improves" family medicine experiences, increases physicians' time with patients, and decreases the experience of burnout

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Elation Health, the clinical-first EHR platform powering the future of sustainable primary care, today announced that the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has issued results from phase one of its independent Innovation Lab studying the effects of Elation Health's electronic health record (EHR) platform on primary care innovation and family physician burnout.

The retrospective study assessed 11 primary care physicians on several areas of their experience related to administrative burden, burnout, ability to deliver high-value care, and experience with the EHR, comparing their experiences with Elation to that of prior EHRs used. Most (10 out of 11) lab participants adopted Elation's EHR in combination with partial or full implementation of an alternative payment model — either membership-based, employer-sponsored, or partial penetration of insurance value-based payment arrangements. All participants experienced improved levels of satisfaction across every area surveyed.

For the full report, visit here. 

"AAFP's series of Innovation Labs identify key innovations that optimize the family medicine experience," said Dr. Steven Waldren, MD, MS, vice president and chief medical informatics officer at AAFP. "We know that traditional EHRs, built around coding and billing, have placed additional administrative burden on the family physician and eroded the physician-patient relationship. Our independent lab results reinforced that technology like the Elation EHR platform can and should reduce documentation burden and stress as well as improve clinical care and the family medicine experience."

Key findings: 

• Phase one lab participants recommended Elation's EHR platform to colleagues with a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 91 – high marks even in the context of popular retail brands such as Costco (NPS 73) and Apple (NPS 68) — and exceptional compared to other EHRs, which are consistently in the negative double digits.
• All lab participants reported a significant decrease in burnout, more time with patients (>30-minute visit lengths), smaller panel sizes, and higher practice satisfaction. 
• Nine out of the 11 physician participants who reported burnout at the start of the study found all burnout was eliminated after using Elation's EHR platform.
• Lab participants reported time with patients went from "constrained" to "ample."
• Overall practice satisfaction as measured on a scale from 1 to 10 improved from a median of 4.9 to 9.4.
• Participants were asked to assess their level of satisfaction in attaining a set of desired outcomes with the EHR. Across a set of eight outcomes, average satisfaction improved from 4.7 to 8.5 on a scale of 1 to 10.
• Participants were asked to assess their level of satisfaction with their experience adopting and using the EHR as an innovation platform to provide better care. Satisfaction improved in every category, with an overall average improvement from 4.5 to 8.4 on a scale of 1 to 10. Satisfaction with tool integration and data access improved the most.

"We are thrilled with the results of the AAFP's Innovation Lab. Technology absolutely can and should work for — not against — primary care physicians. We know that family physicians across America are experiencing crisis-level burnout, and both PCPs and patients have been unhappy with the experience of care. This is not entirely driven by the EHR, but the EHR can certainly contribute to the stress, frustration, and documentation burden eroding the family medicine experience. Elation's open architecture and intuitive clinical-first approach means that we put patient care at the center of our product development, constantly seeking to make right easy, by design," shared Sara Pastoor, MD, MHA, FAAFP, and director of primary care advancement for Elation Health. "These results are just the beginning and suggest that EHR innovation platforms like Elation's are an essential foundation for family physicians who want to reclaim their joy in practice."

Unlike traditional EHRs, Elation's platform was designed to prioritize the physician-patient relationship. The technology's clinical-first approach comes from its history of being launched inside the founder's father's family medicine practice. Following the discoveries in phase one, AAFP is exploring research in collaboration with Elation Health, which will assess key drivers of success in the adoption of prospective value-based care models

To learn more about Elation Health and AAFP Innovation Labs, visit here. To attend AAFP's annual FMX event and gain greater insight into Innovation Lab progress, register before September 20.

Phase one results from the AAFP Innovation Lab retrospective survey were fielded via standard one-hour video interviews with 11 U.S. independent practicing primary care physicians. To qualify, participants must have been a physician in a primary care specialty (preferably family medicine) in the U.S. and an EHR decision-maker with previous experience with another EHR. Participants represented a variety of payment and practice models, ranging from solo practitioners in private practice to small group practices to employed physicians in corporate practices.

Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 127,600 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the largest medical society devoted solely to primary care. Family physicians conduct approximately one in five office visits — that's 192 million visits annually or 48% more than the next most visited medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America's underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine's cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care. To learn more about the specialty of family medicine, AAFP's positions on issues, and clinical care, visit www.aafp.org. For information about healthcare, health conditions, and wellness, please visit AAFP's consumer website, www.familydoctor.org.

Elation Health is the most trusted technology platform for independent primary care. Since 2010, the company has delivered clinical-first solutions — built on a collaborative EHR platform — that helps practices start, grow, communicate, and succeed in delivering the highest-quality personalized care to patients. Elation Health supports primary care clinicians in upholding the craft of medicine, while thriving in an evolving healthcare landscape. Today, Elation Health serves 24,000 clinicians caring for millions of Americans. Learn more at elationhealth.com, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

SOURCE Elation Health