Electronic Health Records (EHR) Software - Benefits, Types and Features

EHR systems have become the industry standard for eliminating paperwork, exchanging medical data, and accessing patient-relevant information while maintaining HIPAA compliance. As medical support today extends beyond single assigned physicians and clinical personnel, EHR systems can help patients and the clinical workforce have a better experience.

HIPAA compliance is built into EHR to protect patients' data and automate medical processes. EHR software improves data management, streamlines clinical operations, and provides patients with an exceptional experience.

What is Electronic Health Record (EHR)?

EHRs (Electronic Health Records) are digital versions of patients' medical histories. It includes demographics, treatment progress notes, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data, and radiology reports that are critical clinical information relevant to patients' care.

It facilitates medical care-related activities via various interfaces, including evidence-based decisions, quality management, and outcomes reporting. It is a significant step toward strengthening the relationship between doctors and patients because it allows for better decision-making and coordinated care for patients.

Electronic health records provide the following advantages to medical practitioners:

• Comprehensive access to patient information 

• Inter-party exchange of health data 

• Avoid miscommunication with physicians and healthcare customers by providing accurate data 

• Facilitate diagnostics and prevent errors 

• Reduce costs and paperwork

• Improve prescription accuracy 

• Simplify clinical, administrative, and billing tasks 

• Handle data safely and in accordance with HIPAA regulations

Electronic health records provide the following advantages to patients:

• Ensure that health information is reliable and consistent

• Access health records anytime, anywhere

• Eliminate repetitive medical tests

• Reduce paperwork and save time

• Automate the creation of insurance claims

• Make appointments

Types of EHRs:

1. Cloud-hosted EHRs - EHRs that are cloud-based store data on external servers and can be accessed from any connected device.

2. Web-hosted EHRs – In addition to storing data on the cloud, web-based EHRs can also be accessed through a browser.

3. On-Premises hosted EHRs - In an on-premises deployment, the EHR application is hosted on a server that is maintained and implemented by the organization’s IT department.

If you intend to implement EHR, cloud-based EHRs may be a viable option because the provider does not have to worry about maintenance, upgrades, or additional costs.

Key Features of EHRs

• Patient Record Management

Patient record management enables healthcare providers to monitor and manage patients' information from any location, at any time. Clinical history, medical records, previous appointments, past medications, progress notes, and so on are all included.

• E-Prescribing

Medical specialists can electronically give prescriptions to patients using e-prescribing. They can be saved in health records so that providers and patients can track them in the future. Refill authorization can also be done electronically to ensure its authenticity and that patients receive their medication on time.

• Charting and Lab Analytics

There is no need to spend a lot of time after work filling out paperwork and making charts. EHRs come in handy, and various features built into the software make charting simple and less time-consuming. For detailed analytics, it includes customized charting templates, voice recognition, and artificial intelligence.

• Payment Management

Medical billing software is integrated into EHRs for simple transactions and billing. Both the doctor and the patient have access to past bills and payments, outstanding balances, upcoming expenses, invoices, and costs associated with filling prescriptions.

Conclusion: 

Every medical setting has unique requirements. Not all EHR systems, however, are created equal and have all the features you require. Therefore, it is wise to use specialized EHR software to satisfy compliance requirements, security precautions, and features of your preference. Many healthcare organizations are implementing this software to achieve the desired outcomes and productivity as there is an increased demand for record management procedures.

About the Author:

MedEZ has 26 years of experience providing behavioral health and drug abuse communities with medical software solutions to automate all aspects of practice, including administrative, clinical, patient management, billing, business intelligence, and others. A focus is also placed on providing medical practices with customized EHR products that will help improve their operational, clinical, and financial performance.