The days of paper medical records being an adequate solution for healthcare providers are over. Not only do national healthcare initiatives and payers like Medicare drive demand for electronic health records (EHRs), they simply make sense considering the level of recordkeeping required today.
Some doctors have resisted EHRs, and not without cause. There are EHR systems that are cumbersome, buggy, and that don't enhance practice efficiency. If you have implemented an EHR solution and are less than thrilled with it, don't assume that all EHRs are useless. In fact, 88% of health care providers report that their EHR produces clinical benefits for the practice. There are plenty of options when it comes to EHRs. If you are unsatisifed with yours, it may be time to switch to another EHR.Avoid Information Overload From Your EHR
Just because an EHR offers a feature doesn't mean you have to use it (unless it's to fulfill a regulation requirement). For example, some EHR systems allow automatic physician email alerts. For a small or specialty practice, this can be quite useful. But for a primary care physician with a high patient load, these automatic email alerts can produce a volume of messages that is overwhelming and not useful. Check the defaults for any EHR you consider and find out if you can override the ones that don't make sense for your facility.
Analytics Can Go Along With User-Friendliness
Don't think that you have to give up the power of great analytics for a user-friendly EHR. There are EHRs that make great use of all that data doctors and others enter. Drug allergy checking, drug interaction checking, and clinical decision support are considered basic analytics, and can be tremendously useful. More analytics are being incorporated, though some of the challenges involved are sizeable. If you want great analytics, you don't have to put up with an overly complicated interface. Explore all your options.
Conclusion
You don't have to deal with the drudgery of paper medical records, and you don't have to accept an EHR solution that isn't user friendly and doesn't coordinate with your established workflows. Choosing the right EHR to fit the demands of your medical facility is a big task, but one that should be undertaken with planning and forethought. The right EHR choice benefits patients, doctors, and insurers, and can help your facility experience higher revenues and lower costs.
GroupOne Health Source is a top rated MGMA billing service and certified implementation partner of eClinicalWorks EHR. We're industry leaders with an extensive track record of helping practices like yours meet the unique challenges of a successful EHR implementation and revenue cycle management. If you would like to know more, please schedule a free EHR consultation with us. GroupOne Health Source is ready to help you implement the right EHR for your practice without a disruption in your cash flow.