Raising the Bar for Pediatric Documentation at Scale
Calcagno Pediatrics is a busy pediatrics group managing well-child visits, medication checks, acute care, and everything in between. Historically, documentation habits varied widely across providers—some relied on in-person scribes, some typed notes quickly but inconsistently, and many struggled to capture incidental findings during packed visits. These gaps meant missed details, under-coding, and lingering open charts. After trialing multiple vendors, Calcagno landed on Heidi as the best balance of features, price, and usability. Six months in, the results speak for themselves.
Tremendous time saving, better documentation, and the ability to capture more of what we do."
Dr. Frank Calcagno, MD
Challenges
- Fragmented documentation habits: wide variation in speed, detail, and workflows across providers
- Lost details in busy visits: secondary complaints often skipped (skin, behavior, joint pain, etc.)
- Pediatric-specific caution: confidentiality and legal discoverability concerns (custody, insurance cases)
Solutions with Heidi
Template customization as a lever
- Core templates for well-child, med checks, and acute visits
- Providers tweak templates via Heidi’s bracket/comma “code” for personal style
Detail-rich documentation
- Adjust output granularity from concise to “super detailed” as needed
- Richer records for medico-legal or insurance-heavy notes
Ease of use for all levels
- From tech-savvy clinicians to those reliant on in-person scribes—adoption across the spectrum
- Minimal disruption, intuitive workflows
Workflow snapshots
- Well-child: captures anticipatory guidance and incidental concerns
- Med check: consistent capture of med refills, counseling, and related details
- Acutes: concise yet complete history/exam notes, including side complaints for continuity
Key outcomes from 6 months
- 7k sessions completed on Heidi
- 120k minutes transcribed
- Fewer open charts: providers close documentation faster and more consistently
- Improved note completeness: captures incidental concerns and secondary complaints
- Better coding readiness: richer detail supports higher-level billing
- Easy adoption across provider types: even less tech-comfortable clinicians transitioned smoothly
“Fewer open charts on the desk”
Visible reduction in unfinished notes, leaving providers with a feeling of real throughput and mental relief.
“From missed side notes to complete clinical stories”
Secondary issues now reliably captured for continuity and follow-up.
“Coding potential unlocked”
Higher reimbursement expected as Heidi consistently surfaces additional coding elements.
