centrexIT.com

Balboa Nephrology Medical Group Improves Patient Care through Use of State-of-the-Art Technology

Nephrology is the branch of medicine dealing with functions and diseases of the kidneys. Kidney disease affects 350,000 people in the U.S. and in 1974, two San Diego physicians were inspired to establish Balboa Nephrology Medical Group. In the nearly 40 years since, BNMG has grown from a single office with just two physicians to the largest group of its kind in Southern California, and one of the largest in the entire state...

When BNMG first became affiliated with centrexIT in 2004, they managed 10 clinics, a brand-new Vascular Access Center, dialysis centers around the county, and maintained all of it with a single computer server located at the corporate office. In the seven years since, BNMG has grown exponentially to include 15 office locations, including the Vascular Access Center and the Balboa Institute of Transplantation. Their 34 board-certified physicians manage dialysis treatments for nearly 2000 patients in more than 30 centers throughout San Diego and Imperial County clinics.

BNMG's expansion included medical practice assimilation, which required patient data and demographic migration from each old office to the new medical group. It was at this point that centrexIT was called on to recommend IT solutions appropriate to BNMG's immediate needs and future expansion plans. During the first 90 days, centrexIT migrated all of BNMG's data to a small server farm in centrexIT's private data center. A new infrastructure with 10 dedicated services was designed to make it scalable, and to establish redundancy so there could be no disruption in service.

BNMG committed to a year-long process of transitioning their paper patient files to Electronic Health Records (EHR). centrexIT recommended and deployed GE Centricity, an IT software solution utilized in large hospitals around the country. The new practice management software eliminated the time and cost inefficiency of couriering paper patient files from one office to another. It provided increased efficiency in all administrative functions, including medical billing; and it improved point-of-care solutions, allowing BNMG to provide a more standardized level of care on behalf of its patients. As a part of the year-long transition, physicians were trained to use the new EHR system.

Before EHR, BNMG clinic managers devoted 50% of each day to IT issues. Once EHR was deployed, clinic managers were able to refocus that attention on their patients and staff. Efficiencies created by incorporating the EHR system allowed each office to operate with fewer support personnel, reducing the number of employees in each office by two.

Additional efficiencies included the ability to conduct monthly technology meetings between the CIO, Lead Engineer, Project Manager and Field Engineers on the centrexIT side, and the Physicians, Office Managers, Accounts Payable personnel, COO and CFO on the BNMG side to review existing IT, address any concerns, and evaluate opportunities for future deployments.

For some, transplants can mean the difference between life and death, and in 2005, BNMG added their own transplant surgeon and dedicated team to its Nephrology services. When a kidney becomes available, the surgeon makes himself available at a moment's notice, waiting while the critical patient is medivaced to BNMG’s transplant center.

In the years since centrexIT became affiliated with Balboa Nephrology, there have been a number of upgrades in kidney patient care, including the dialysis backpack, which allows a patient to perform dialysis while they sleep instead of three times a week for 3-1/2 hours at the center. Portable machines offer the same flexibility, and for patients that must come to the center for treatment, the BNMG offices have all been updated with amenities and entertainment to make the environment as pleasant as humanly possible.

The practice of Nephrology is truly a labor of love for the physicians and staff of BNMG. Last February, a 19-year veteran of Balboa Nephrology Medical Group, Lorena Rodriguez, voluntarily donated her own kidney to save the life of a stranger. Her up-close view of patient heartache and suffering prompted her to take personal action. And if that wasn't enough, her actions inspired a chain of donations which resulted in three patients receiving live-saving kidney transplants. Now that truly is a labor of love! At centrexIT, we measure our success by each and every client success, and are happy to be judged by the company we keep. We are extremely honored to partner with Balboa Nephrology Medical Group.