In our exclusive interview with David Porras Jr., Assistant Director of Business and Clinical Operations at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), we delve into the transformation of their Student Health & Wellness Center. Learn about their journey with Medicat, the challenges they faced, and the remarkable improvements in service delivery and clinical efficiency.

Q: Can you give a brief description of UTEP and your Student Health & Wellness Center?

A: I’d describe UTEP as having a diverse student body, mainly comprised of commuting and international students. Our Counseling and Psychological Services is a completely separate service. We send plenty of referrals to Counseling and Psychological Services, but then the prescriptions for depression and anxiety get sent back over to us in Student Health. We see a variety of insured and uninsured (self-pay) students. Plus, we comply with the requirements for academic programs like nursing and pharmacy.

Q: When did you first start using Medicat?

A: We started using Medicat 13 years ago. I implemented the software about 1-2 years into my position, transitioning from a paper-based system for charting and billing to going fully electronic within six months for all of our college health billing.

Q: What challenges necessitated transitioning to using an EHR product?

A: Billing was not administered by practice management personnel specialized in business operations. There were no fee schedules, and since we had outsourced to a billing company, they took a significant cut of the payments. Eventually, an internal audit revealed 22 critical issues that we needed to address. We discovered that Medicat offered practice management features, electronic claims processing, and an intuitive interface, addressing these challenges.

Q: What made Medicat’s EHR & billing and insurance solutions work for your clinic?

A: Choosing an EHR that had practice management features and front-office capabilities was our main goal. The other features Medicat offered were just the cherry on top. Practice management features such as electronic claims processing, ease of use of issuing credits and refunds, and appointment scheduling were some of the most helpful features to our clinic at the time. We integrated Medicat with Waystar, which vastly reduced processing time for all of our payments.

Q: How did you go about introducing our solution to your team? Was there pushback? A sigh of relief? Celebration?

A: Some of our staff were initially hesitant to switch to an electronic system. Our on-site training sessions with Medicat staff helped overcome resistance. Once trained, they found the system to be more intuitive and user-friendly than our previous paper-based system.

Q: Has working with students improved since implementing Medicat?

A: Absolutely! Students appreciate the ease of filling out consent forms and gaining a better understanding of insurance claims and billing, as these services are no longer outsourced. I really enjoy educating students on insurance and working with them to ensure they can afford the care they need.

Q: What have you been most impressed with during your Medicat experience?

A: The collaborative approach to quickly resolving issues and implementing new features that enhance both the staff and student experiences.

Key Takeaways

By addressing the University of Texas at El Paso’s unique challenges and streamlining its operations, Medicat has played a pivotal role in enhancing efficiency and improving the overall student experience. We take pride in our commitment to helping college health centers run more efficiently, offering not just an EHR solution, but a partnership dedicated to the success of student health services. UTEP’s journey is a testament to our shared mission of making a positive impact on the healthcare landscape of college campuses.

Electronic health records (EHRs) are essential for keeping health and counseling clinics organized and for promoting efficiency among providers and staff members.

Patient Portals in particular are a key tool to help enhance the student experience. At first thought, many may think that EHRs solely enhance clinical workflow and efficiency, but an exceptional EHR system can benefit both providers and their patients.

Here’s how EHRs can enhance student education and empowerment:

Enhancing Accessibility for All Students

EHRs can help promote patient education by giving students the freedom to easily access their health information and any associated educational resources online.

When students have virtual access to this information, it’s much more convenient for them to engage with their health anytime, anywhere. Although providers verbally communicate information during appointments, students may forget details or wish to share the information with others.

By providing a way for students to review this information, they can ensure they didn’t miss anything, leading to better engagement in their health. This empowerment can reduce anxiety, improve medication adherence, strengthen patient-provider relationships, and enhance health outcomes.

The Power of Secure Messaging

Within your EHR system, you likely have the option to securely message students to further boost patient education and empowerment. With secure messaging, patients and providers can communicate with each other in a safe, confidential manner.

According to, The HIPAA Journal, secure messaging has been shown to “accelerate clinical workflows and help accelerate patient throughput, reduce the potential for medical errors, increase patient satisfaction, improve clinical outcomes, and significantly reduce costs while ensuring compliance with HIPAA.”

Furthermore, with secure messaging, students can easily reach out to clinic staff with questions as they arise, eliminating the hassle of phone tag or waiting until their next appointment.

As a result, this significantly increases patient satisfaction, as students get their questions answered much more quickly and responses are tailored to them and their health history. Students may even feel more comfortable disclosing information via a secure messaging portal rather than face-to-face with their provider, resulting in more thorough patient care.

Moreover, students may choose to provide health information to their providers through secure messaging. For example, students may be able to take their own blood pressure or glucose level readings, so that their provider can easily provide additional care.

Digital Documents and Resources

Additionally, providers can attach or upload digital documents into their EHR system for students to view.

For example, following an appointment, providers can attach relevant educational materials, discharge paperwork, or test results. This empowers students to access detailed information about their visit, conduct further research, and take an active role in managing their health.

Moreover, adopting digital documentation can significantly reduce the administrative burden on staff. By eliminating the need for paper-based records, clinics can streamline processes, save time, and create a more organized and efficient workspace.

This allows healthcare professionals to focus on providing high-quality care and building stronger relationships with their patients.

Optimizing Outreach Events

Along with informational resources and medical documents, clinic staff may also want to promote upcoming events.

For instance, student health centers may want to promote their upcoming flu clinic, and counseling centers may want to notify students of a meditation workshop during finals week. This helps students take advantage of the programming clinics work so hard to organize.

The possibilities for boosting patient education and engagement through an EHR system are virtually endless! With strategic planning and effective communication, clinics can use their EHR to maximize outreach efforts and provide students with the support they need to thrive.

Learn more about connecting students with key resources here.

Key Takeaways

EHRs do more than just help with clinic productivity and efficiency. They also help promote patient education. Furthermore, an effective EHR system allows students to easily access their health records, communicate with clinic staff, receive valuable resources, and attend helpful events.

Rather than having to worry about patients forgetting what was stated during an appointment, EHRs can do all the work for clinic staff while also giving patients the tools they need to further their knowledge to reach their health and wellness goals.

Curious about the impact an EHR can have on your campus? Check out how Abilene Christian University improved the student experience using automated messages, simple check-in forms, and text reminders.

Switching to a new EHR system may seem daunting. At Medicat, we strive to make the process as smooth as possible. One of the ways we do this is with our thorough implementation process. This blog contains information that will help give you better insight into our implementation process, and how you can prepare for a successful launch with Medicat.

Our Implementation Team will walk you through setting up your software and demonstrate how to use it. The following questions are answered by one of our Customer Onboarding Specialists, Katie Gray, who provides specific information on how the implementation process works while offering recommendations and strategies to maximize the benefits of implementation.

With a thirty-year track record, Medicat has established itself as the foremost provider of software solutions for college health, serving more colleges and universities than all other EHR vendors combined. To optimize the transition to Medicat’s software, careful planning, effective communication, and comprehensive training of key clinic personnel are essential for maximizing the software’s potential and ensuring the best user (and student) experience. Through it all, we want you to know that we are here to support you and your team.

Allow Medicat’s EHR software to function as a valuable tool for your clinic to improve patient care and administrative efficiency. Reach out today to learn more about our implementation process.