Chart Better with
Electronic Health Records

The Case for Electronic Health Records

While it does require a concentrated effort on the part of the entire practice team to successfully implement an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, many practices have already done so and are happy with the results. Some were not happy with the system selected, and had to try again. Although it was mostly early adapters or those looking to take advantage of incentives that jumped on the EHR bandwagon, the rest of the practices will not have a choice in the matter very soon.

Practices that successfully implement an EHR system will recognize many benefits including:

• Less space required for paper records means more space available for productive office activities.
• Better use of administrative personnel.
• Increased accuracy with direct input to the record instead of relying on a transcriber.
• Easier exchange of information.
• Speech recognition capabilities enable more efficient data input.
• Cloud backup capabilities so no information is lost due to natural disaster.

With an effective EHR, the provider has reliable access to a patient's complete health information, which can lead to a quicker and more accurate diagnosis. In addition, EHRs can assist in Risk Management and Liability Prevention efforts due to the ability to aggregate, analyze and assess all patient information in one place. They provide an easily legible record in the event a lawsuit is filed against the practitioner.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, EHRs provide an invaluable assist to the billing task. Information is gathered quickly and accurately, and can easily be sent on to the insurance company or government entity for claims processing. This results in better Revenue Cycle Management.

Factors to Consider When Switching EHRs

If you do decide that your practice needs an EHR replacement, one of the biggest challenges will be managing the data migration from the old EHR to its replacement. You’ll need to develop a step-by-step plan with a specific testing phase and “live” goal. Talk to your staff and come up with a list of requirements based on your practice and specialty needs, and compare your needs against what the various vendors provide.

Make sure you work with a company that will help make the process proceed efficiently. Other factors in deciding which EHR is best for your medical practice include:

• Impact
• Usability
• Interoperability
• Flexibility
• Upgrades
• Cost
• Reputation