How to Maximize Your EHR System: Tips Medical Practices Often Overlook
Most medical practices use less than half of what their EHR can do. Here are 6 overlooked features that can reduce no-shows, and free up your staff.
Your EHR system is probably the most expensive software your practice owns. It’s also probably being used at about 40% of its actual capacity.
That’s not a guess. It’s what we see when we work with medical practices across Metro Atlanta — from Lawrenceville to Duluth to Snellville. Teams that have been on the same EHR platform for years, still doing manual workarounds that the system was designed to eliminate.
The good news: you don’t need a new system. You need to actually use the one you have.
Here’s where to start.
Why Most EHR Systems Are Underutilized
There are three reasons practices don’t get full value from their EHR:
- Implementation was rushed. The go-live happened, the trainer left, and everyone just figured it out as they went.
- Staff turnover resets the knowledge base. Every time someone new joins, the workarounds spread.
- The system keeps updating, but training doesn’t. Your EHR vendor releases new features quarterly. Your team hasn’t heard about most of them.
None of this is your fault. But it is your problem — and it’s fixable.
6 EHR Features That Can Transform Your Practice Operations
1. Custom Note Templates Built for Your Specialty
Out-of-the-box EHR templates are designed for the average practice. Your practice isn’t average — it has specific visit types, specific documentation requirements, and specific workflows.
Most EHR platforms let you build custom templates for your most common encounter types. A well-built template for a 15-minute follow-up visit can cut documentation time from 8 minutes to under 3. Do that 20 times a day and you’ve saved nearly two hours.
Where to start: Identify your top 5 visit types and build templates for those first. Even a single well-designed template pays off within a week.
Already struggling with tech setup in your practice? Our managed IT services for medical practices include EHR configuration support so your team isn’t figuring it out alone.
2. Automated Appointment Reminders
No-shows cost the average medical practice $150–$200 per missed appointment. Most EHR systems have automated reminder tools built in — text, email, phone — that most practices never activate.
One family practice we worked with in Grayson reduced their no-show rate by 34% in the first 90 days after turning on automated reminders. The feature was already included in their subscription. They just hadn’t set it up.
Where to start: Check your EHR’s patient communication settings. If automated reminders aren’t running, contact your vendor’s support line or — if you’d rather not spend an afternoon on hold — reach out to us and we’ll handle it.
3. Population Health Dashboards
This one surprises most people. Many modern EHR platforms include population health tools that let you filter your patient panel by chronic conditions, overdue preventive care, or lapsed follow-ups.
That means you can pull a list of patients with Type 2 diabetes who haven’t had an A1C check in over a year — and proactively reach out before something becomes a crisis. It’s better care and better business.
Where to start: Look for a “Reports” or “Population Health” section in your EHR. If you can’t find it, it may be a feature tier you haven’t enabled. Worth a call to your vendor.
4. EHR and Practice Management Integration
If your clinical documentation, billing, and scheduling systems aren’t fully integrated, your front desk is doing data entry two or three times for the same patient. That’s not just inefficient — it’s a source of billing errors that delay reimbursements.
Proper integration between your EHR and practice management software can reduce claim denials, speed up AR cycles, and eliminate the copy-paste workflows that slow everyone down. In many cases, the integration is already included — it just hasn’t been configured.
We specialize in healthcare IT systems integration for Metro Atlanta practices. If your systems aren’t talking to each other, that’s a straightforward fix.
5. Role-Specific Staff Training
Here’s the thing about EHR training: most of it is generic. Everyone gets the same onboarding, whether they’re a physician, an MA, or front desk staff. That means everyone learns a little of everything and masters none of it.
Role-specific training — where physicians learn the documentation tools, front desk learns the scheduling and eligibility tools, and billing staff learns the coding workflows — dramatically improves adoption and efficiency. Even 30-minute monthly refreshers pay off.
Where to start: Ask your EHR vendor what training resources they offer by role. Many have video libraries and webinars that your team may not know about.
6. Quarterly Workflow Audits
Your practice changes. New providers join, patient volume shifts, insurance contracts change. Your EHR workflows should adapt with it — but they rarely do without intentional review.
A quarterly workflow audit doesn’t have to be complicated. Pull your team leads together for an hour, walk through the most common patient touchpoints, and ask: “Is this the best way we could be doing this?” You’ll almost always find something worth improving.
This is also a good time to review your EHR vendor’s release notes. New features get released all the time. Someone should be tracking them.
The Bottom Line
Your EHR is either working for your practice or against it. There’s not much middle ground. The practices that get the most value from their systems aren’t the ones with the most expensive platforms — they’re the ones that invested in proper setup, training, and ongoing optimization.
If you’re not sure where your practice stands, start with a simple question: when did you last have anyone review how your team actually uses your EHR day-to-day?
If the answer is “not recently,” that’s where we’d start too.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does EHR optimization typically take?
It depends on how much needs to change, but most practices see meaningful improvements within 30–60 days of focused optimization work. Custom templates and automated reminders can often be set up within a week.
Do I need to switch EHR systems to improve efficiency?
Rarely. In our experience working with Metro Atlanta practices, the vast majority of efficiency problems can be solved by better utilizing the existing system — not by switching platforms. A migration is expensive and disruptive. Optimization is usually the better first step.
What if my staff resists changing how they use the EHR?
This is common. The key is role-specific training that shows staff how the change makes their specific job easier — not just that change is happening. Quick wins early in the process help build buy-in.
Is EHR optimization covered under a managed IT plan?
It depends on the plan. At MedTech Consulting, our managed IT services for medical practices include EHR support as part of comprehensive practice technology management. Contact us to discuss what’s right for your practice.
Ready to Get More From Your EHR?
MedTech Consulting works exclusively with medical practices in Metro Atlanta. We’ve helped practices in Lawrenceville, Duluth, Grayson, Snellville, and Lithonia streamline their technology — including getting real value out of the EHR systems they already have.
Call us: 678-824-2420
Email: help@medtechconsulting.net
Schedule a free consultation: medtechconsulting.net
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MedTech Consulting is a Metro Atlanta IT and digital marketing firm specializing in technology solutions for medical practices. Learn more about our services.