Hospitals in the United States have deployed Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Software to streamline daily workflows. According to the 2018 Annual Update on the Adoption of a Nationwide System for the Electronic Use and Exchange of Health Information, 96% of non-federal acute care hospitals and 78% of physicians based in office leveraged certified Health IT. The EHR system allows for the secure storage and exchange of patient data to improve care coordination.
What is an EHR Software?
Electronic Health Records are robust solutions that store a patient’s medical information in a digital format. These records are up-to-date and can be viewed by the physician in real-time to support care decisions. Only authorized users can access the patient information including medical history, medications, treatment plans, and lab results.
Features present in a top-ranked EHR Software
A comprehensive EMR software solution will offer the following powerful capabilities to maximize practice profitability and improve patient care.
- Cloud-based and mobile-friendly software platform.
- In-built customizable templates.
- Charting tools.
- Lab integrations to seamlessly submit lab orders from any device and upload results into the patient charts.
- E-prescribing (e-Rx) to enhance patient safety.
- Billing and coding.
- Telemedicine platform.
- HIPAA-compliant patient portal platform.
- Patient engagement solutions.
5 key benefits of deploying an EMR system
- Improve patient care – When physicians leverage the power of Electronic Health Records (EHR) software the quality of care can enhance through quick access to patient records in real time. Most software systems offer health analytics tools that help providers predict the best diagnosis and decide on a treatment path.
- Accurate patient information – In contrast to paper records digital records are well-secured and up-to-date so the physician can make the best healthcare decisions. Digital records are also free of errors associated with handwriting issues. Patient information can be updated in real time by the clinician. If a patient wants to refer to another provider the records stored in the software are very beneficial as the new physician has access to the complete patient medical history to start care without any delay. Research shows that clinicians who use electronic health records can follow accepted treatment guidelines and have a reduced number of medication mistakes.
- Supports care coordination – The interoperability options provided by the EMR system support the seamless exchange of patient health information with other systems and physicians to support care coordination which is the foundation for high-quality patient care.
- Safer care – The alerts feature in the electronic medical records system can reduce the chances of any medical errors to improve patient safety. For example, the alerts feature in the EHR software automatically lets the physician know when a prescription interacts with the patient’s existing medication. The robust software also flags any patient allergies during medication prescribing.
- Automation improves efficiency levels – Using EMR Software automates tedious administrative, financial, and clinical tasks. The automation streamlines and optimizes workflows enhancing practice efficiency levels. This way staff members have additional time to focus on other important tasks to satisfy patients.
Moving ahead
The benefits of adopting EHR software systems are evident. Physicians can benefit from charting and documentation tools which gives them more time to focus on patient care. An EMR system offers a user-friendly interface enabling providers to easily get done with clinical tasks and also improve overall work-life balance. When all the patient’s doctors, hospitals, and labs can share patient data in real-time they can work better as a team to enhance health outcome levels at large.
