SMARTDRAW IN MEDICINE:

Creating Anatomical Diagrams in Dermatology

The Problem
Dr. Matthew Miller, of Greenville Dermatology, was looking for a new way to create medical notes for his patients. At the time, he was describing the location of his patients' skin lesions into a tape recorder. He'd then pay someone to type up his comments in note format. The problem? It was starting to get expensive.

"My dictation costs were running up to $2,500 a month...just for simple, typed paragraphs," said Dr. Miller. "I just knew there was a better way!"

Dr. Miller wanted to produce notes that included diagrams of the body and skin. He could then use these drawings to show where the lesions were, instead of dictating and transcribing notes.

"I thought it would be great if I could create a drawing of the human body, draw a line to the location of the lesion, then type up a description," said Dr. Miller.

Dr. Miller decided to search the Internet for anatomical drawings and found SmartDraw.com.

"At the time, I was just looking for drawings to include with my notes," said Dr. Miller. "But after I found the web site, I was intrigued by the possibility of doing much more!"

The Test
SmartDraw's Medical & Anatomy collection includes thousands of different images, symbols, and templates, including clip art for hundreds of different body parts, as well as templates for male and female figures.

Users can simply "drag and drop" the appropriate image into their drawings, so even the artistically challenged can create professional-looking medical diagrams.

"I was able to quickly create and save a 'male' template, a 'female' template, and a 'cosmetic' template to use again and again," said Dr. Miller. "I even saved templates of specific body parts, such as arms, legs, and feet, to identify other lesions."

After creating the templates, Dr. Miller would simply draw lines to the location of the lesions, and type in a description of the problem directly into the drawing.

"It was extremely easy to use," said Dr. Miller. "I didn't have a whole lot of time to play around with the program, so it was amazing what I could do."

The Results
Now, his referring physicians get a detailed color image of the human body, with a typed medical evaluation on one page.

"It's neat, concise and to the point," said Dr. Miller. "And I don't have to bother with expensive dictation fees. In fact, using SmartDraw has saved me more than $36,000!"

Dr. Miller uses SmartDraw every single day to create his medical notes. His referring physicians are so pleased, that they've been sending him more business.

"They really love the medical notes," said Dr. Miller. "They like them so much, in fact, they've been sending me more patients than my competition."

Dr. Miller has also begun to use SmartDraw in other parts of his business. He's used the program to create advertisements, flyers, patient brochures, and logos. "SmartDraw is extremely versatile," said Dr. Miller. "I just love the program!"