Most patients are now accustomed to seeing their doctors enter notes into a computer during office visits. Although the healthcare industry has taken much longer than others to transition from paper-based to digital systems, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act gave hospitals and clinical practices a boost in adopting electronic records. The goal of the HITECH Act is to improve overall patient care by giving clinicians timely access to all of the information they need for better diagnoses and patient outcomes.
76 percent of hospitals in the United States had already implemented a basic electronic health record (EHR) system. However, in order for hospitals and clinics to fully reap the benefits of electronic records, they must go beyond simply entering basic patient information into systems and make that information a critical part of managing patient care at all levels. Clinicians and patients can expect a number of advantages from moving to a more comprehensive EHR model:
A complete picture of the patient
Providers should strive for dynamic patient-centered records that track the patient’s care continuum throughout their lifetime, in sickness and in health. Having a single, continuous record for a patient allows for a more holistic view of overall health, allowing for better diagnosis and treatment over time.
Improved care coordination
Clinicians can more easily coordinate and track patient care across practices and facilities with digital records. Clinicians from various specialties and disciplines also work together to improve patient outcomes.
Information sharing
Sharing information across disciplines, specialties, pharmacies, hospitals, and emergency response teams, as well as having on-demand access to charts via mobile devices, allows for better and more timely decision making, especially in critical situations.
Streamlined workflows
EHRs boost productivity and efficiency while reducing paperwork. Patients and staff fill out fewer forms, giving clinicians more time to see patients. Referrals and prescriptions can be sent quickly, reducing appointment and pickup wait times. Automatic reminders can notify patients when it is time for annual checkups or when they are approaching milestones that necessitate regular screenings. Billing and insurance claims can be filed on time with integrated patient tracking.
The power of data
Continuous data collection enables greater personalization of care, allowing providers to address health issues preventively. Furthermore, ‘big data analytics and aggregated patient data may be able to alert providers to larger health trends like potential outbreaks and which flu strains are prevalent during each flu season.
Cost savings and increased efficiency
Digital records and integrated communications methods can significantly reduce administrative costs by eliminating the need for transcriptions, physical chart storage, coding, and claims management, as well as facilitating care coordination and shortening the time required for hard-copy communications among clinicians, labs, pharmacies, and health plans.
Error reduction
Digital records allow for better tracking and more standardized documentation of patient interactions, potentially reducing errors. Illegible handwriting in clinicians’ notes or prescriptions is no longer an issue, and coding for procedures or billing is simplified.
When used properly, electronic health record-keeping will improve patient care. Healthcare providers will be able to devote more time to treatment rather than record-keeping. Electronic health record keeping will also enable healthcare providers to detect patterns and share information in previously unimaginable ways, potentially leading to faster, more effective cures.
Why is EHR so critical in healthcare?
There are numerous advantages to using electronic health records! The limitations of not having an EHR are also present. Here are some key insights into why EHR is so beneficial for your services if you own or work in the healthcare industry.
Paper documents have limitations!
As much as the world laments unreadable doctor’s handwriting, the same can be said of handwritten office notes. While practitioners adhere to a template and format, there is no guarantee that all employees have legible handwriting. Other restrictions include:
Even with good handwriting, the paper notes cannot be shared electronically and must be transferred manually.
- The information in your paper records is simple to compute or analyze.
- The inability to quickly store or locate data.
- The fear of losing valuable data due to theft, fire, or other unforeseen circumstances.
- Another factor highlighting the benefits of EHR is the reduction in visit frequency. Outpatient satisfaction has also increased.
- When a patient arrives for an appointment, one or both reports are frequently missing or unavailable. As a result, they must return, adding to the burden of their illness. The main advantage of electronic health records is that they save time.
EHR Advantages
There are several advantages to using electronic health records. These have been removed from caregivers’ and receivers’ to make it easier to understand.
EHR Benefits for Nurses
This is how nurses can reap the benefits of an EMR.
Simple Follow-Ups
When all patient data is digitally stored in one place, nurses can easily track patients. The same is true for reminding patients of their next treatment date or the course of their medications.
Thus, the benefits of EHR, which allow nurses to devote more time to caregiving rather than sorting papers, are noteworthy.
Ease of Tracking Patient Information
Nurses struggle to organize patient data, especially when working under multiple doctors. And there are a plethora of things to keep track of, such as allergies, blood groups, previous treatments, and so on.
Thus, one of the best EHR benefits is the ease of managing all of that data on a single device.
Furthermore, the records are accessible and up to date around the clock, regardless of distance.
Rapid Patient Transfers Nurses are well aware of the time and movement constraints when transferring a patient from one department to another.
Moving patients from a standard room to an emergency room, for example, must be done quickly, sometimes within minutes. In such cases, minutes lost could mean the loss of life.
With EHR, nurses only need to make a few taps on the screen to reap the benefits.
EHR Benefits for Patients
The numerous advantages of EHR are not limited to caregivers, but also to patients. Take a look at these!
Less Prone to Mistakes
Electronic health records have fewer errors than manual records and provide more benefits.
There is little chance of a misread because these are computer-generated details from medical records. Not to mention that they are completely legible and resistant to a prescriber’s illegible handwriting.
And this is one of the critical EMR benefits that many people desire.
No Miscommunication
Another advantage of Electronic Health Records is the ability to share their medical history remotely. Furthermore, it enables healthcare professionals to review a patient’s entire medical history at once. And the other way around.
With such detailed access, an in-depth evaluation of the records became possible gradually. This also allows doctors to plan the best course of treatment.
Furthermore, when patients change doctors, there is no risk of losing access to their medical history.
Useful in Emergencies
In some cases, patients may be unable to transport their medical records. Or perhaps in emergencies such as car accidents, sudden cardiac arrests, and natural disasters, where patients are unable to provide medical information.
In such cases, electronic health records can provide emergency care providers with vital life-saving information. And this is possibly one of the most significant advantages of EHR.
Tracking data thefts or manipulations is made easier
when a patient is misdiagnosed or given the wrong medication, he will always have his EHR as evidence. If a fraudulent entity attempts to destroy electronic records, it is first and foremost impossible to do so without permission.
For example, if someone succeeds in destroying the data, it is simple to track them down using their IP address and other cyber mechanisms. As a result, EHR has a significant advantage.
How do I select EHR software?
Now that you’ve read about the numerous advantages of electronic health records, it’s time to talk about how to choose them. This is significant because only by successfully implementing and adapting to an EHR will its benefits be realized. So, before deciding to implement an EHR, you should be fully aware of the benefits and requirements.
Most importantly, all of the features of an EHR must be HIPAA compliant. This will ensure greater patient confidentiality, which may or may not be possible in standard chat applications.
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