What are the Benefits of Using Electronic Health Records?

An Electronic Health Record (EHR) is platform that stores a lot of information beneficial for both practitioners and patients. It shows patient’s medical history that the provider maintains over time. It may include all of the key administrative and clinical data relevant to that person’s care under that provider, such as demographics, progress notes, problems, and medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data, and radiology reports. The cloud-based EHR streamlines the clinician’s workflow by automating access to information. Other care-related activities, such as evidence-based decision support, quality management, and outcomes reporting, can supported directly or indirectly by the EHR through various interfaces.

EHR software helps in healthcare progress, and it has the potential to improve patient-clinician relationships. Providers will be able to make better decisions and provide better care as a result of the availability of the required data.

The EHR can improve patient care by improving the accuracy and clarity of medical records, thereby reducing medical errors. It makes health information more accessible, reducing duplication of tests, reducing treatment delays, and ensuring that patients make better decisions.

EHR software improves the accuracy and clarity of medical records to reduce medical errors.

What are the benefits of using Electronic Health Records?

Due to EHR software numerous benefits, the EHR has become an indispensable tool for hospitals and private health practitioners worldwide. It promotes better health outcomes while lowering costs for the patient and the healthcare provider. It eliminates medical mistakes, resulting in better diagnostics and patient safety. Furthermore, it promotes patient engagement and facilitates better care coordination. Along with benefits, EHR implementation in a healthcare system is not as simple as it appears. There is a slew of potential stumbling blocks when implementing an electronic health records system. Knowing about the challenges ahead of time will help providers avoid them and make the transition more smoothly. In this blog post, we will discuss what are the benefits of using electronic health records? And, What are the barriers to using electronic health records?

What are the advantages of using an electronic health record?

According to experts, the benefits of free electronic health records result in a significant increase in patient health-related safety. Here are some of the EHR advantages mentioned below:

Increased Care Quality

EHRs allow complete health information about a patient to be exchanged in real-time. Accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information leads to a higher level of care, from better diagnoses to fewer errors. EHRs can also help patients better manage their conditions and participate more fully in their healthcare by sending automatic reminders for preventative visits and screenings. When it comes to medications, paper prescriptions can be misplaced or misread, resulting in dosage errors or even dispensing the incorrect medication. Physicians can communicate directly with pharmacies using electronic prescribing, which reduces errors and saves time by eliminating lost prescriptions.

Less paperwork

There is less paperwork to deal with and fewer storage issues. Administrative tasks consume significant time and money in the healthcare industry. Clinicians and staff may spend significant time filling out and processing forms during their day. EHRs automate several routine tasks because they are paperless. As the number of paperwork decreases, so does the required storage space. Healthcare providers’ offices may become less cluttered as storage needs decrease and efficiency rises due to instant storage and retrieval of digital EHRs.

Financial incentives

For healthcare providers, purchasing the necessary equipment, hiring the personnel to implement it, and training staff on new procedures to transition to an EHR can be costly. Financial incentives, fortunately, are available to assist organizations in recouping their investment. Eligible providers (EPs) can earn incentives for adopting and meaningful use of EHR technology through the Medicare EHR Incentive Program and the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.

Increased Productivity and Efficiency

By allowing centralized chart management and faster access to patient information from anywhere with condition-specific queries, EHRs can be more efficient than paper records. Communication with other clinicians, insurance providers, pharmacies, and diagnostic centers is more efficient and trackable, resulting in fewer lost messages and follow-up calls. Integrated scheduling, linked to progress notes, automated coding, and insurance claims, simplifies office management. These EHR features of medical software companies help you save time, leading to increased productivity.

Improved Patient Care

As previously stated, what is good for healthcare providers is often also good for patients. No more filling out the same paperwork at each doctor’s or specialist’s office with streamlined access to a patient’s complete records. Every provider has access to a patient’s diagnostic tests and the treatments that worked for a particular patient. Because the results and images are all in one place, patients are less susceptible to duplicative testing or imaging procedures. Better provider coordination leads to more accurate diagnoses, better chronic condition management, and better overall patient care, which should always be the primary focus of healthcare.

Accurate billing

Electronic records can also more accurately capture the use of facility resources, allowing for more accurate billing records for patients. While patients may not notice a difference as a result of this benefit, third-party payers, such as insurance companies, will have a complete record of activity and charges. A medical provider’s revenue can be increased as a result of this.

What are the disadvantages of using electronic health records?

EHR disadvantages include user-related issues, financial issues, and design blemishes, all of which create barriers to their use as an operative tool for delivering healthcare services. While many clinics have switched to electronic health records (EHR), some doctors are hesitant to do so in their own offices. The reasons for this apprehension vary by organization, but there are far too many advantages to using EHR for a clinic to pass up the opportunity.

Keep reading if you’ve been thinking about adding EHR to your clinic’s digital toolbox but aren’t sure if it’ll work. The above part of the article contains information on the importance of electronic health records (EHRs) and what are the benefits of electronic health records. Further in the article, major barriers and disadvantages of electronic health records  discussed with their solutions  . Along with lots of advantages, there are some disadvantages listed below:

Lost Productivity

Drops in productivity associated with EHR use are among the most common complaints across healthcare organizations. A variety of factors can cause drops in productivity but it depends on the type of EHR you choose. The first and most common is a decrease in productivity due to workflow or EHR design, which causes clinicians or administrative staff to take longer than usual to complete tasks. The second source of lost productivity is insufficient EHR system training, frequently occurring when new users  introduced to a system or when a system upgraded or changed.

If you choose an EHR that is user-friendly and possess amazing features, it will add up in the productivity.

Concerns about Malpractice Liability

When implementing an EHR system, several liability concerns to consider, such as ensuring that sensitive medical data not to lost or destroyed during the transition from paper to electronic records. As a result, treatment errors may occur. Physicians may  held liable if they are unable to access all of the medical records at their clearance, particularly if that data supposed to be more accessible due to its electronic nature.

Make sure the EHR you choose allows smooth transition of data.

Inconvenience and Inefficiency

EHRs can be inconvenient because they require computers and, more importantly, internet access. That information may become inaccessible if there is a power outage or a computer failure. An important part of a strong EHR is having an information technology team available to solve technical problems quickly so that patient care interruptions are minimized.

Unnecessarily frightening patients

When patients have complete control over their medical information, they may be exposed to information they do not fully comprehend. Accessing information that one does not fully comprehend could lead to various misunderstandings, including those that cause the patient to panic or cause them to take inappropriate, potentially harmful actions.

Time taken process

Selecting and setting up an EHR system and completely converting all of your paper records to digital ones can take longer time. During that time, you’ll need to figure out your budget and what features you’ll need. It takes time to demo EHR products and negotiate with EHR system vendors to select and implement the best system for your practice. After that, even if your new EHR system is up and running, you must still devote time to training your employees on how to use it. The cost of setting up and switching to a completely new medical records system isn’t cheap, even at competitive prices. The increase in price competition is becoming more prevalent as more vendors enter the EHR system market.

Incomplete Information

Anyone viewing an EHR could be receiving incorrect or incomplete information if it is not updated as soon as new information is gleaned, such as after test results are received. That could result in errors in diagnosis, treatment, and health outcomes not only by the issuing practitioner but also by any specialists, pharmacists, physical therapists, or personal trainers involved in the patient’s care.

What are the barriers to using Electronic Health Records?

Knowing about the challenges ahead of time will help providers avoid them and make the transition go more smoothly. Here’s a rundown of the major barriers providers should be aware of as they implement EHR.

Training takes a long time.

The staff must be thoroughly trained on the new workflow before the EHR system is deployed. Physicians and medical staff need additional time and effort to comprehend the new system. For both employees and management, it is a time-consuming and troublesome process. Small and mid-sized businesses are concerned about dropping business during the training stage. Additionally, the staff may view it as an unnecessary effort at times.

Personnel Resistance

Not everyone on the medical staff is on board with implementing technology in the hospital. Furthermore, some health professionals are doubtful about the efficacy of electronic health records. They might be hesitant to abandon the documentation process. In some cases, employees are unaware of current technological advancements and their numerous advantages. As a result, EHR implementation is delayed.

Inability to use

Physicians find it difficult to adapt to an EHR system that does not fit into their current workflow. The one-size-fits-all rule does not apply to EHR systems because a one physician workflow fluctuates from that of other physician and vice versa. The software’s ease of use is hampered by design flaws or insufficient training.

Data privacy

Another major EHR implementation challenge is the patient community’s and provider’s data privacy concerns. Stakeholders frequently express concerns about data leakage due to a natural disaster or a cyber-attack. A national policy to protect the confidentiality of personal health data has been imposed by the federal rule. In a security breach, the company could face legal action and be forced to pay millions of dollars to settle the dispute. As a result, ensuring the EHR’s data security becomes a major responsibility of the provider.

Data Migration

Exporting paper-based documents to digital records is a logistical nightmare for the staff. Large chunks of documents pertaining to the medical histories of hundreds of patients will be present, and data entry may prove to be a tedious and time-consuming task for the staff. This is a major EHR implementation challenge for hospitals, and the effort is multiplied if the previous system lacks a proper format.

Resource Limitations

Small clinical establishments and private health practitioners face this as one of their EHR challenges. Furthermore, they may lack the necessary hardware to support the EHR solution. Building an in-house technical team and purchasing hardware is a significant expense, which is a common reason for small and mid-sized healthcare providers delaying EHR implementation.

Interoperability

Interoperability refers to the ability of different EHR systems or software to exchange information so that different providers can use it. Interworking required in EHR to obtain a complete picture of a patient’s health. Building an interoperable system that allows information to  shared among multiple providers remains a huge challenge for healthcare providers. Not to mention, proper care coordination among multiple providers is necessary for better patient health outcomes.

Inadequate planning

EHR implementation, more than a technological upgrade, entails a cultural shift in the organization. As a result, EHR implementation’s change management aspects become a real challenge. It should plan strategically in advance, and all stakeholders necessarily committed. Without extensive planning, the successful implementation and long-term viability of the EHR system will be a pipe dream.

Inadequate Communication

Effective communication between the healthcare provider and the IT vendor required to build an EHR system that delivers the desired results. It is a continuous process, not a one-time activity, to ensure that both parties meet expectations. The provider’s concerns and feedback addressed , the vendor should be able to build effective tools that meet the provider’s needs. The objectives cannot met without effective communication.

EHR Solutions for EHR Integration

In recent years, the adoption of electronic health records has increased dramatically. As a result, health IT experts and administrators have devised strategic solutions to address the common barriers that providers face when implementing an EHR. If you’re a healthcare provider considering implementing an efficient EHR system, here are some options to help you get started

Strategic Plan

To avoid challenges and barriers is to develop a detailed strategic plan for the upcoming activities. Assign team members duties and responsibilities, identify physician champions, and create a space for mutual support and reliance. Ascertain that the team has eventuality plans in replacement. During the implementation phase, workforce productivity may drop, workflow may go haywire, and even patients may become irritated. It’s important to remember that the key to a successful EHR implementation is preparation.

Ensure training

The goal of EHR implementation is to improve efficiency and streamline the process. The goals will remain unattainable if employees fail to use the system effectively and continue to use traditional methods. Implement a comprehensive training programme for employees and explain how the new system will improve patient care and make their jobs easier and more efficient. Encourage them by recognizing their accomplishments and considering additional compensation if they work excessively hard.

Collaboration with Experts

Get help from experts who are familiar with both the hospital’s workflow and the EHR system to ensure a successful EHR implementation. Take advantage of opportunities to learn from leaders who have successfully implemented EHR systems in a health-care setting.

Wrap-up

EHR implementation is not a lavish affair for healthcare organizations. In today’s healthcare landscape, a meaningful user-certified EHR system is both a necessity and a liability for providers. With proper EHR implementation in place, they are one step closer to ensuring quality health care.

However,a number of barriers to successful EHR implementation that can be overcome with proper planning and strategic execution. Furthermore, the EHR system tailored to the physician’s current workflow. Which necessitates the involvement of health IT experts who are familiar with clinical workflows.

Collaborate with our team.

We’re here to assist you in developing a health-tech product that adds value to your customers and meets their needs. We understand how health technology can improve patient outcomes and administrative management, and we’ve worked on digitization projects. We’re all about assisting businesses in becoming more efficient while emphasizing the ease of use and accessibility of users who deserve a user-friendly solution. Our EHR software is a quick and secure solution while adhering to the principles of interoperability.

What makes Medifusion Unique?

Medifusion is much more than a cloud-based EHR system. It is a Practice management solution tailored to the needs of the independent physician. You have complete control over which solutions and services your medical practice requires. MediFusion EHR provides customizable templates and a bunch of features, making it ideal for private practices.