NextGen KBM Rebrands to Adaptive Content Engine

NextGen EHR's knowledge base model, called Nextgen KBM, has been rebranded to Adaptive Content Engine as of the NextGen 5.9.2/8.4.2 release in 2019. The new name provides more clarity into what this part of the EHR solution does, and its significance compared to other components of the system.

New Features in NextGen's Adaptive Content Engine Compared to KBM

NextGen has added many useful features with the rebranding and release of the Adaptive Content Engine. Look for these changes once you've upgraded to the latest version of NextGen.

• New template types have been added to support your practice's workflows. Many KBM classic templates have been updated in this process, although some will be changed in future updates. During this period, classic templates continue to work so you don't lose access to important content.

• New reference fields for custom templates include developer, reference updated, and funding source.

• A patient's primary care physician information now shows up on all of the templates. You have this conveniently available everywhere that you need it through the Patient Information Bar and related fields.

• Screening templates now have a Performed Date field to track how recent the patient has gone through a screening process.

• The Care Plan Template has several changes to Goals, Interventions, and Outcome.

• Multiple templates have new fields intended for regulatory compliance when it comes to the auditing process.

• A new protocol, called Responding to and Assessing Patients' Assets, Risks, and Experiences, has been added. It's part of the Screening Tools available in the Adaptive Content Engine.

• NextGen has fixed several errors and bugs with existing templates.

• A Zika risk questionnaire template is now available.

• The Adaptive Content Engine supports 12 diagnosis codes for each order.

The Benefits of the Adaptive Content Engine vs KBM

The Adaptive Content Engine offers many benefits for your ambulatory practice. You can get started with 2,000 workflows across 30 specialties as the foundation, and add customization to better support the unique needs of your organization.

Your staff members spend less time on repetitive tasks, as they have pre-populated templates that speed up their work and allow them to focus on patient care. Documentation is consistent and compliant across the board due to standardized fields.

Content and forms that are common for a specialty are readily available. You can make changes that don't impact any compliance or reporting measures. If you find that you need to update your workflow based on new policies, practices, or other factors, the system gives you that level of control.

If you've ever lost template customizations following a NextGen upgrade, you'll be happy to hear that the Adaptive Content Engine is designed to minimize the possibility of this happening again.

The productivity and quality improvements that KBM brings to the table lead to cost savings and increased revenue for your practice. The templates allow you to quickly bring new hires up to speed on your practice's workflow, forms and procedures. If they've worked with NextGen before, they may already be familiar with the pre-built templates.

Getting the Most Value Out of NextGen's Adaptive Content Engine

The Adaptive Content Engine empowers your healthcare organization with the foundation it needs to scale seamlessly, support your staff members, and improve the quality of work at all levels. However, you can't get the most out of this system out-of-the-box.

While the built-in templates and workflows are an excellent start, your practice and specialties have their own unique needs that may not be perfectly served by the included content. The Adaptive Content Engine does streamline the process for customizing content. However, if you're not sure what to change to improve these workflows, then you're not going to be able to get the most out of your investment.

In some cases, you have extensive customization requirements and a substantial content library that needs to go into the NextGen KBM. Dedicating staff members to this project could take away from other vital areas in your organization. If they're not experienced with this type of customization, it could also take a long time for the changes to get put in place. They may fail to account for regulatory compliance or design forms to support a potential audit.

They also have to know the right questions to ask everyone working with the EHR. If they don't get key information about the specific way people do things in the practice, then the workflows are going to feel forced or inefficient. When your practice deals with many specialties, each workflow also needs to account for the differences between them.

In some cases, a lack of experience in NextGen KBM templates could result in customizations that don't transfer over during an upgrade. Someone would need to recreate the template in the future, and that could be disruptive to a workflow until it's fixed.

A NextGen consulting service has the expertise to work with the Adaptive Content Engine and design the templates that support your practice. By partnering with a NextGen KBM partner, you can allocate your resources in a way that makes the most sense. You can focus on your core business competencies and give the consultant the information they need to create a fully customized solution. A well-established NextGen consultancy has worked with many practices of varying specialties. They have real-world experience in what does and does not work for making a healthcare organization more efficient, productive, and profitable.

The difference between using the included workflows in NextGen and having a set customized for your practice is like night and day. Everything works better and you're not trying to change your procedures to fit into the pre-existing templates. Instead, you can set up workflows that mesh with your processes.

Get in touch with TempDev today to get the most out of the NextGen Adaptive Content Engine.