Simply put, Electronic Medical Records are paperless for recording patient medical history- past medication/procedures. But we need to understand that it is not only an alternative to paper use, but it has extensive use. It can record patient history, including prescriptions, vitals, etc.
It can also track the patient's current situation, notify them about follow-up check-ups, etc. So when it comes to monitoring a Patient's condition, EMR software is the best choice in health care. When it comes to selecting EMR software, there are many options available. However, they all have their pros and cons. Therefore, choosing a system with the features you need is essential.
EMR V/S EHR
Unlike EMR, a similar yet different system called EHR is available for health facilities. EHR, i.e., Electronic Health Record, sounds identical to EMR, but a thin line separates both.
EMR's objective is to take care of a patient's medical conditions. On the other hand, EHR is made up to cover various sections of a Health facility, including the tasks of an EMR, such as the accounts section, reception desk, billing desk, etc., so that the facility's management becomes more manageable.
So, when choosing between an EMR and an EHR, it is essential to consider the nature of your business. If you are running a small clinic, an EMR will suffice for your needs, whereas EHR is the better option if you have a large health facility.
Features & Functionality Of EMR Software
Now, let's examine why EMR is so easy to use and should be used in healthcare facilities.
Easy Appointment Tracking: EMR has an efficient feature for tracking appointments. By using this feature, healthcare can reach out to its patients and send them reminders for the next meeting scheduled or a pending follow-up check-up.
Electronic Prescriptions: Yes, you read it correctly, EMR has the facility to provide you with E-prescriptions. So there is no need to remind yourself every time to take your prescriptions while going to a drug store. Electronic prescriptions save a patient from going through such troubles.
Consultancy Portals: EMR has a portal that can connect patients to the doctor. As a patient, if you have any queries, then you can ease that burden by asking the doctor.
Interaction between Providers: EMR also has a feature where two healthcare providers can access your medical history. This feature is to increase the efficiency of the treatment process.
Streamlining Lab Procedure: Lab screening of patients helps doctors with the diagnostic process of patients. So EMRs help doctors to notify the lab to prepare for the tests beforehand and smooth the lab testing, which will eventually reduce the waiting time for the patients.
Benefits Of EMR For HealthCare Providers
There might be doubts that, in a clinical practices a hospital, EMR medical will benefit you. To clear that, a list of benefits is given below to help you convince your mind.
EMR streamlines the work of doctors, and the staff. In return, doctors can save time during their consultations and observe more patients during their OPD hours.
It also helps cut additional costs, such as calling patients to notify them of their upcoming appointment or a missed follow-up check-up.
It is an efficient way to store patient details and help doctors save up a room that was earlier used for storing medical history files. More importantly, the records become accessible in a click. Doctors can also search a “parameter” within a patient’s medical history.
EMR helps doctors avoid starting the treatment process repeatedly due to the lack of medical history.
The presence of medical history is precious and can also be used for research studies. All thanks to EMR for making all the data available for research.
Once in a while, you might experience health problems. Therefore, even if the issue is minor, you may be anxious, searching for a solution, or planning to rush to the doctor. As a patient, there will be different things happening in your body. So even if things are minor, you will be tense and looking for a cure or running to a doctor. But with the help of EMR's online consultations, there is no need for a patient to be worried. Patients can connect with the doctor from the comfort of their home.
Patients can also keep track of their appointments and reach the clinic on the asked date and time.
It will also increase a patient's diagnostics process and help speed up the treatment.
EMRs reduce the probability of making errors which can prove fatal for the patient.
Deployment Methods
The deployment of EMR can be fulfilled in the following given process:
Satisfy the security measures per HIPPA laws by taking HIPPA risk assessment.
Fulfill the required hardware demand to install EMR software.
Start migrating all the existing data on the software.
Once it is done, you are ready to use the software and streamline your workflow.
Types Of EMR Systems
EMRs for Mental Health: EMRs for mental health have a different approach than the other regular EMRs. There are features to cover the long notes of a Psychologist in brief, which will help other consulting doctors to grasp the situation very soon.
Cloud-Based EMRs: We all know that EMRs are web-based, but when the entire EMR health care is cloud-based, it comes under this category. Cloud-based EMRs are better than regular EMRs as they provide your data with highly secure security.
ONC Certified EMRs: When EMRs are as per the Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) regulations, they are certified as the ONC-certified EMRs.
EMR for a pulmonologist: When it comes to pulmonologists require a medical history to track the patient's complete condition and treat it accordingly. Ekacare has developed a robust and stable EMR for pulmonologists where they can access a patient's previous records and use analytic tools to prepare charts and demographics to understand the patient's situation.
EMR for Gastroenterologist: Gastroenterology is, again, a completely different field where one requires other tools. EkaCare provides templates for symptoms and diseases like jaundice, colon cancer, hepatitis, etc. Under different templates, it enables different features and suggests various diagnostic tests, charts, etc.
EMR for Endocrinologists: For Endocrinologists, EkaCare has different templates of EMR where a doctor can fill up the required tests using the suggested diagnostic tests feature. It also has a nifty calculator for insulin resistance, waist-hip ratio, etc.
EMR for Cardiologists: Eka Care is one of the few companies which offers an EMR system for cardiology. It comes with a unique template entirely dedicated to cardiology. We all know that a patient with a heart condition should always contact the doctor. So to solve this problem EkaCare offers a portal where a patient can remain in touch with the doctor and keep updated about their condition.
The Best EMR Software
When it comes to the best electronic medical record systems list of EMRs or a particular one, the EkaCare EMR system should be the obvious choice. It is a secure system, built with “doctor-first” approach. Many doctors must be thinking - how Eka Care EMR provides different templates for different medical departments. This shows how efficiently and thoughtfully it handles the entire process of storing medical records, preparing charts, etc. Also, it provides a user-friendly interface and easy customisation options. The support team offers 24/7 support to doctors in case they face any issue.
Another great thing about EkaCare is that it offers robust security features to protect the data stored in its systems. Overall, EkaCare is an excellent EMR system. It is also cost-effective, and thus your investment will be worth it. So get on EkaCare EMR systems to smoothen their clinical practice.
Implementation Goals Of EMR Software
When implementing EMR systems, Health facilities must do thorough research by considering some factors and the desired outcome they are looking for. The outcomes should be as follows.
It should have different templates for different symptoms, diseases, and departments.
It should be able to store the medical records securely.
It should ease the doctor’s workload, including prescription creation, appointment management, medicine delivery, lab team, management desk, etc.
It should be able to track patients' health conditions and reduce medical errors.
Based on all these factors, a hospital should procure suitable EMR software and help their patients and doctors to ease their burdens.
Buying Guide For Your New EMR Software
If you are looking for EMR software systems and need help deciding which software to select. Then take a look at the given requirements, which will help you to provide a clear view of which EMR to buy.
One should go after an EMR software that is as per your specialization.
It should have the required features in a budget-friendly way. Having features that are of no use in your field is a waste, so select accordingly.
The accessibility of the software should also be taken into account. Make sure that you can access the software from different devices- mobile, laptop and even iPad. It must have an easy customisation feature to change the prescription pad, medications, as per your convenience.
The support team and the software should be good, and you should have easy access to them when needed.
It should have the right security features, as medical records are sensitive information and must be handled carefully.
Software Comparison Strategy
Even if you have procured healthcare EMR systems that suit your demand, how do you select among them? The best way to choose among all these is by comparing them based on:
Price
Quality of software
Popularity of software
Number of features as per your specialisation.
A number of required features are offered.
This way, you will be able to find your suitable EMR system.
Cost & Pricing Considerations
When it comes to EMR prices, pricing is important to consider but a doctor’s priority should be go for a reliable and robust EMR system. In terms of pricing, an EMR can cost from 10,000 a year to 2,00,000. The value of EMR is more and adds a lot of value to a doctor’s practice.
Conclusion
EMR is an assistant to doctors. The features it provides are not possible in the traditional pen-and-paper format. All doctors should start shifting from conventional methods to EMR systems, which will help them bring a significant change and prove to be efficient & effective. . All the doctors must do their research and comparison before shifting their practice to a EMR software. It is worth investing in a good quality EMR system as it will increase their efficiency and will make the recordkeeping experience easier. These are some of the essential factors that you should consider when it comes to buying EMR software.
FAQs
Can a patient question the doctor 24*7 on the consulting portal of EMR?
Yes, this is only when the doctor wants to be approachable. It does provides a virtual platform where the patient and doctor can freely communicate with each other.
Why should I utilize EMR software?
You can effectively maintain your medical records with the aid of electronic medical record software. You can successfully get around the drawbacks of the traditional paper-based method by using EMR software. EMR software gets rid of errors, fragmentation, and incorrect indexing. The EMR software's user-friendliness is its most convenient feature.
What distinguishes the EMR software?
The EMR software can effectively handle and manage large practises and healthcare centres.
The EMR software can handle medical billing tasks with competence.
Given that it is a knowledge-based system, the EMR software can effectively address the primary needs of a hospital information system.
The electronic medical record software can include all of a practice's departments.
