How to Choose an Electronic Health Record System

If you're a healthcare professional in the UK, then you're probably aware that electronic health records are being introduced as part of the NHS Connecting For Health programme. If you're looking for the right Electronic Health Record system, then here's what you need to consider.

1. The electronic health record software needs to easy to use, so that your staff feel comfortable using it, and that staff are able to update patient records, or find out information from it. A system that is hard to use won't be well liked.

2. It's important that the electronic medical record software doesn't require lot of additional training in order for staff to be able to use it. You'll want your staff to be able to carry on with their duties without needing to factor in time for training. In addition, patients won't be pleased if their care is disrupted, they are delayed unnecessarily, or their health is put at risk due to training issues.

3. The system you choose should be easy to manage so that it doesn't need lots of additional support. You won't want to have to have technical support staff on site, or be on the phone to the customer care department all the time.

4. The electronic patient record system needs to be reliable as it holds the details of all of your patients. A system that often crashes, or brings up the wrong information won't be well liked, and will give patients the impressions that their data is not secure, and that the service you are offering isn't very good.

5. It's essential that the system is secure so that patients can feel confident that their personal information is kept away from prying eyes. With different levels of access, and certain information only available to those people who really need it, you need to be assured that the software you are using is right.

6. Even thought the system might store thousands, or even millions of records, it still needs to be quick. Patients won't be happy, if they are made to wait whilst the electronic health record software brings up their details. Medical staff won't be happy if their job takes a lot longer because they can't get the information they need in a timely manner.

7. When investing in an electronic patient record system, it's essential that it meets current and future needs. A system that barely meets current needs is hardly likely to still be capable in a few years time. You might also have additional specific requirements for your system.

8. The reporting ability of your chosen electronic health record system is important, so that you can find out the information you need quickly and easily. You might need to be able to report on several sites, or by department, or by any other pre defined, or custom reports. This needs to be easy to manage and set up so that you have the facts and figures you need when you need them.

9. It's important that you choose a cost effective electronic health record system. There's no point in choosing the cheapest if it doesn't meet your needs, and no point in choosing the most expensive if it offers features that you'll never use.

10. Most importantly, the electronic health record system needs to meet patient requirements. Your patients won't care about the cost saving, or scalability or processing power, if their details can't be changed, or appointments are always running late due to software issues.

Now you know what sort of things to be aware of, you're sure to be able to find the right electronic health record system.

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The Six Functions of Electronic Medical Records

Electronic Medical Records are going to be needed in the future. It is important to learn the functions of EMR and how it fits into an office work flow.

1. Patient Charting

Patient visit information is put into templates or forms; to contain information such as vitals, complaints, medical histories, review of systems, physical exams, etc. Most EMR systems have pick lists, drop-down boxes, handwriting recognition, or voice recognition to accomplish patient charting.

2. Order Communication Systems

This is often referred to as a Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE). This allows the Electronic Medical Records system to communicate information with external systems such as laboratories, imaging centers, hospitals, and pharmacies via Health Level 7 Interfaces. This allows providers to send out lab requests, imaging requests, prescriptions, submit visit charges, and diagnosis codes to the office/billing system.

3. Clinical Decision-Making Support Systems

Alerts, reminders, and recommendations are built into the system allowing automatic clinical decision making with information in the database. It also helps doctors with coding and diagnosis. Many EMR systems provide physicians with a recommended CPT code based off of Evaluation and Management (EM) rules. This allows physicians to bill payers at the highest possible rate for the services performed.

4. Document/ Image Management

It is important for offices to manage the enormous flow of paper entering their office. Offices are constantly flooded with patient intake forms, referring physician letters, lab reports, and faxes. EMRs allow doctors to access these documents on a intuitive user interface. EMRs provide physicians a way to manage images such as x-rays, MRIs, and ultrasounds.

5. Patient Portal

Personal health records allow patients to access their health record from any computer with a secure internet connection. These programs include features such as appointment scheduling, refill requests, electronic intake forms, record access, outcome assessments and patient education. The patient can also grant other providers access to this information which allows provider-to-provider communication.

6. Statistics and Reporting

Providers can create reports from databases for statistical purposes. This becomes especially useful in the case of drug recalls, health maintenance reminders and disease management.

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