EMR recommendation: Luminello

This page was last edited on February 10, 2022

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Are you using an electronic medical record or EMR (or, more broadly, a practice management system) that makes it easy to manage all the different aspects of your outpatient mental health practice?  Everything should be in ONE system and should be easy as pie.

No complicated screens and things that are not relevant to mental health.

When I started my private practice in 2016, I discovered Luminello – an EMR designed by a psychiatrist and specifically for mental health professionals. Luminello has everything that a mental health professional needs and nothing that we don’t. I have been using Luminello ever since, and it has made my life so easy. Based on my personal experience, I recommend it to all of my colleagues.

I have not systematically compared Luminello to other EMRs. But, as a solo practitioner with a cash-only practice, I liked the simplicity of Luminello. Beyond the fact that it is built based on the clinical experience and insights of a psychiatrist, I like Luminello for its clean, simple screens that I find easy to use. It avoids the overkill of crowded screens and chaotic features of some other EMRs.

Some of the specific features of Luminello I love and which save me time are discussed below. If you decide to use another EMR, I recommend checking to see if they also have the following features:

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Appointment scheduling/ canceling/ changing

– After the initial evaluation, patients schedule their own appointments on the Luminelllo calendar. This saves me a lot of time scheduling, canceling, or changing appointments.

– A confirmation of the appointment is automatically sent to the patient by email.

– I can set up recurring appointments on a fixed day/time (every 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, etc.), which both the patient and I find to be very convenient.

– Luminello sends an appointment reminder by email when the appointment is made and then again prior to the appointment (24 hours, 48 hours, whatever you choose). I have set the default to immediately and 48 hours prior to the appointment so that I don’t have to think about it. This system has worked very well for me.

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Demographic information

– When I accept a new patient, I enter the name, date of birth, and email address. After that, the patient or family member enters the rest of the demographic information.

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Billing

– I pay extra to have credit card processing, so at the bottom of the note, I either continue the same billing code/fee (which I set up once) or change it if needed. When I click to sign the note, the credit card is automatically charged.

– Patients (or family members) get their own billing statements from their Luminello account. Another thing that I don’t have to do.

– I don’t use this feature but those clinicians who accept insurance can subscribe to an additional service allowing them to bill insurance directly through Luminello.

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Writing clinical notes

– On the calendar, I click “Clone note” and the previous note opens up.

– I personally don’t like to have to use a template that someone else has created. I have created my own custom templates for the initial evaluation and the follow-up note. I only had to do this once, though I have tweaked them intermittently.

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Forms and questionnaires

– With just a click, I send rating scales and custom questionnaires to patients. I add these to their chart with just a click. This allows me to have a lot of information in my intake note before I’ve even seen the patient.

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Secure email

– Best of all is a secure, HIPAA-compliant email. There’s no such thing as a quick phone call!

– I talk to the patient once at the start to decide whether to accept the patient. After that, instead of phone calls, I communicate with patients and their families by secure email. Family members can also have their own secure email account. So, I involve them too. With one click, I add the secure email to the chart, so, there is a systematic record of the communication.

– I created my own questionnaires (very easy to do), which I send to patients along with some questionnaires that they provide.

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E-prescribing

– E-prescribing is also simple

– I can prescribe and renew medications easily (including controlled substances) from wherever I am

– There is an extra charge for e-prescribing

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Concerned about cost?

In this and all issues related to clinical practice, I think in terms of how much of my time and hassle is saved and not only the cost. The cost of using an EMR like Luminello is low compared to how much I charge per hour. It is better for me to see one more patient every month to pay for Luminello rather than to try to save a few bucks by spending more time.

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