Interview with eClinicalWorks president, Girish Kumar Navani: "Our marketing department is 10,000 people strong..."

By Robert Gleeman, Medical Journalist for EMR Update email me  

I first heard of Girish Navani from doctors who had purchased the eClinicalWorks Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software (http://www.eclinicalworks.com/) after seeing Girish Navani demonstrate it at a seminar or sales presentation. Doctors have described him to me as intense, yet calm, inspiring of confidence, and above all, a great public speaker whose EMR demo skills are unmatched in the world today.

Girish Kumar Navani, president of eClinicalWorks

(Credit: Photo courtesy of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette)

I asked Girish why so many customers - and even a few competitors - say that he is so good at communicating the high excitement and the cool logic of EMR.

 "Actually," he answered, "I haven't done a single on-line demonstration in over a year, but thanks, I'll take that as a compliment. That doesn't mean I don't sell. I'm as involved in sales and product development as any EMR executive in the industry. But regarding the competition, I see it just like the game of golf. You're not trying to compete with another person - you're trying to compete against the golf-course. That's the mindset we have at eClinicalWorks. We need to make sure that we do things right ourselves, and not focus on what somebody else does. As long as we do this well, I think we'll win, and that's the perspective we as a company must have."

Does Girish imply that eCW might someday take a major departure from conventional EMR design?

He answered, "I believe that eClinicalWorks has already made a grand departure seven years ago in an EMR marketplace that was not very upfront, all the way from its sales process to its pricing, to providing disjointed products.

"We came out and said we'll offer the product at a fixed price, we'll offer it with a modern web architecture, we'll offer it as comprehensive, united, unified solution, and we'll treat every customer, both small and large, with the same respect. We're not going to ignore the one-doctor practice.

"So yes, from that perspective, I think we did change the marketplace. What we've done now, further enhancing our vision, we've now taken that approach, over the past three years, to the large market segment. We've implemented medium and large customers with the same regularity that we've implemented small customers. We have proven day in and day out that as a company, our product skills from a one-doctor practice can be applied to a 300-doctor practice, and it is not a problem.

"We've proven that we can keep the same pricing standard; it doesn't matter if it's a small, medium, or large company. These are changes in the EMR marketplace in the way everyone does business now, and we have advanced these changes by acting with good character. When faced with a problem, we didn't run away from it. We have made mistakes like any company, but we have always made sure the customer was left feeling comfortable about putting their complete trust in eCW, past, present, and future. In a recent AMA article, it was estimated that overall, the acceptable success rate of EMR implementation is about 70%. eClinicalWorks is achieving a  99.3% success rate. I would be very disappointed if someone bought our product and didn't use it."

I asked Girish how he learned to work so well with doctors. Is Girish, perhaps, himself a doctor?

"I am a fictitious doctor," he laughed. "I've role-played being a doctor in so many demos, I feel like I should be one by now. At least I feel I understand a doctor from his or her human side. I understand the practice of medicine. I understand the financials of healthcare in terms of payers, reimbursement, and quality. But no, I can't treat a patient. That's one thing I'll never be able to do, because I never went to med school. But I'll tell you a little story. My dad wanted me to go to med school, but I ended up becoming a software engineer instead. But at least half his wish has come true. I'm at least working in the field he wanted me to work in. And I've learned about medicine, from the perspective of how it operates, and I've learned to talk and work with doctors, to find out where their ‘pain points' are."

I asked Girish if he has a love for all things medical, and whether or not he has any doctors in his family.

"I do love medicine," he answered, "and I think medicine serves a noble cause. Healthcare goes far beyond profit. My sister is a doctor. My brother-in-law is a doctor, and he is a closely involved part of eClinicalWorks. He manages all our training operations. I also have other members of my family in India who are doctors. I was raised in the world of medicine, and I have been an active part of medicine for over nine years now. Doctors are often very sensitive people, and many do not choose the profession for the love of money, but rather, for the love of their patients. Unfortunately, they are surrounded by a healthcare system that is all about dollars. If eCW can make it easier for doctors by putting our pricing on our website, so everyone can see they are paying the same ratio, we can also make it easier for ourselves. This is our business ethic, and we've been very successful by treating all customers with equal fairness."

Let's talk more about fairness in EMR marketing. This is a major concern for our readers.

"One aspect of this" he elaborated, "is ‘fairness in functionality'. I've always felt that you cannot have two versions of the product-one that gives more functionality and you charge more for it, and one that gives less functionality and you charge less for it. And then you try to sell the cheaper product to the smaller customer and the more expensive product to the larger customer. I fundamentally believe that does not work in healthcare. The physician has to provide care. The practice manager has to generate the dollars and the bills. It's just as important for a solo practice as a large established network practice. You cannot offer two different products and you cannot offer two different ways of doing things. You need, in the end, to offer a comprehensive product to both segments of the market, offering many purchasing choices, and that is what we've done."

Do doctors appreciate having access to upfront, fair EMR pricing, since they are bound by oath to give their patients all the available options?

Says Girish: "Exactly. We like to say that we're a company loved by our customers. We now have about 10,000 providers using our system, and I respect every one of them. The power-users need to be heard from and be happy, but so do all the other doctors, because at the end of the day, our software controls their livelihood and the way they provide care."

Can we find a biographical sketch of Girish Kumar Navani on the eCW website?

"No," he explains, "and there is a reason for that. The company is not about an individual. eCW has never been defined by one personality. Yes, we have one person who is the outside face of the company, and that person is me. I take the responsibility of the corporation in terms of being able to talk with people, but this company is not a one-person organization. As a result, we've moved away from having management bios. We do not want to recognize or decorate one individual over the other 350 individuals who work at eClinicalWorks. I am one of five founders, four with IT backgrounds and one physician, and all five of us are still involved daily in the company, running different departments at eCW."

Does eCW have a very large marketing department?

"Yes we do," Girish quipped, "it's our customers. Our marketing department is 10,000 people strong, consisting of all the doctors who use the product."

Next, I asked Girish why he doesn't "hang out" at EMR Update and post more often. When there is a problem, someone from eCW shows up to solve it, so we know you guys are reading the publication. Why so little interaction with EMR Update?

"That's a great question," Girish answered, "and I think EMR Update is a fantastic place, both for EMR vendors, customers, and potential customers. Similarly, there is another forum website, http://ecwusers.com/ , which is also an independent user group similar to EMR Update. It's financed and managed by eClinicalWorks users, and eCW has no company control over that site. It is part of our responsibility to participate on that forum, because it's just for eClinicalWorks users. I write on that forum on a regular basis, almost daily. I have that responsibility because all our users are there. It's my responsibility to communicate with all of them, to discuss issues with them, and to brainstorm with them. After working a 14 hour day, at the office, and an hour or two on ecwusers.com, I only have about 8 hours left to sleep. So, there is a time constraint which keeps me from writing more on EMR Update. That's the first answer. I would love to do it, but the time becomes a physical constraint. I'm not sure I could do it justice, even though, personally, I would love to do it.

"Secondly," he continued, "EMR Update was greatly influential and helpful in the creation of eClinicalWorks. If you go back to 2003 and 2004, EMR Update was filled with posts by eCW users writing about their experiences with the product and the company. We believe EMR Update helped to get eClinicalWorks much of the visibility it enjoyed at that time. Now we have grown to a large company with 350-plus employees, looking to hire another 150 in the near future. Our revenues have exceeded 40 million dollars this year. We've become a large company with profits greater than many public companies. So I feel it would be unfair for me to come to EMR Update and hog the spotlight. I don't feel it's just for me to write about eClinicalWorks day in and day out on EMR Update. Some of our customers still write on EMR Update, but most have moved to ECWusers.com. They've got another place to go ahead and discuss their EMR implementation, so they don't come onto EMR Update. And I also think it's for EMR vendors who can benefit tremendously. However, if there is a specific eCW issue or question, we'll respond.

"EMR Update helped us a lot," Girish added, "and I would like to see it help other companies as well. I don't see why we at eCW should write on EMR Update, because it would just be self-glorifying, and self-praising. I think we should leave EMR Update for general-purpose EMR discussions, and if a question for eCW comes up in those discussions, we will always respond. To conclude, I would like to say that personally, I think EMR Update is fabulous, and I think it's a great environment which needs to exist in order to help separate the myths of the industry from the facts. EMR Update helps eliminate the unknowns because people are free to discuss them."

I said to Girish that his philosophy is perfectly acceptable, and that from now on, we'll just ask him for money.

He laughed and said, "That's just fine. We will support EMR Update always."

In conclusion, I asked Girish if he had any hot sizzling news for the voracious readers of EMR Update. He emailed me this story, allowing me to scoop all the other EMR Forums on the block. And here it is:

IDAHO'S LARGEST HEALTHCARE PROVIDER, ST. LUKE'S HEALTH SYSTEM, SELECTS ECLINICALWORKS UNIFIED EMR/PM SOLUTION

Nearly 300 Providers Implement Integrated System to Streamline Operations Between Locations; eClinicalWorks will Interface with Siemens Hospital Network to Simplify Processes

WESTBOROUGH, Mass.-January 8, 2007-eClinicalWorks^TM, a market leader in unified EMR/PM systems, today announced that St. Luke's Health System, the largest healthcare provider in Idaho, which also serves eastern Oregon and northern Nevada, has chosen eClinicalWorks unified electronic medical records (EMR) and practice management (PM) solution to streamline practice operations between locations and from patient check-in to check-out.  Initially, there are nearly 300 providers implementing the client/server version of eClinicalWorks EMR/PM that will also make use of an interface that eClinicalWorks is developing with Siemens, St. Luke's hospital information system.

"Providing integrated effective, and timely access to patient information for physician practices and hospitals statewide is critical to providing seamless and efficient care across the continuum," said Greg Orr, administrative director at St. Luke's Internal Medicine. "eClinicalWorks meets our requirements for a single-database solution that integrates the entire office, from front to back end, while being intuitive to use. The efficiencies this provides will translate into more time spent with patients."

Founded in 1902, St. Luke's Health System is Idaho's only locally owned, not-for-profit health system. The system offers a full continuum of care through its four hospitals and more than 30 outpatient centers and clinics. St. Luke's Health System's 6,400 employees, 867-member medical staff, and more than 850 volunteers are committed to delivering the highest quality care to those in medical need regardless of their ability to pay. St. Luke's has been recognized as Idaho's preferred hospital, receiving the Consumer's Choice Award from 2000 through 2005. Using eClinicalWorks EMR/PM, St. Luke's will streamline internal processes between practice locations and promote patient safety while reducing costs.

"St. Luke's has a long tradition of being ahead of the curve in implementing solutions that will benefit their patients in the long-run," said Girish Kumar Navani, president of eClinicalWorks. "By using eClinicalWorks integrated EMR/PM to manage its patients from check-in to check-out, St. Luke's will have better access to patient information and spend less time on administrative functions. These aspects contribute to better patient care overall."

eClinicalWorks' EMR solution enables St. Luke's to manage patient flow, immediately access patient records in-house or remotely, electronically communicate with the referring physicians and securely send consult notes and clinical data. Users can easily access and review complete patient histories, past visits, current medications, allergies, labs and charts. Integrated with EMR is eClinicalWorks Practice Management, designed to instantly streamline the medical billing process.

About eClinicalWorks

eClinicalWorks^TM is a  privately-held leader in the unified electronic medical record (EMR) and practice management (PM) market. The company's EMR/PM solutions are proven for every market segment: large practice groups, including Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative (MAeHC) and Electronic Health Records of Rhode Island (EHRRI), as well as medium, small and solo practices regardless of specialty. The company enjoys high profitability with a five-year compounded growth rate of more than 100 percent year-to-year. With an established customer base of more than 2,200 customers across all 50 states, eClinicalWorks has been awarded multiple top industry honors including Best in KLAS in 2005 and 2004, a top solution by TEPR for four consecutive years and the 5-STAR rated EMR solution by AC Group for three years. Based in Westborough, Mass., eClinicalWorks has additional offices in Alpharetta, Ga. More information on eClinicalWorks can be found at http://www.eclinicalworks.com/ or by calling (866) 888-MY-CW.