Sometimes keeping track of all the medical data for each patient who visits the hospitals or clinics regularly becomes one of the most daunting tasks if done manually. Moreover, most patients might suffer from diseases that might not match the problems other patients are facing. Hence, only through the digitalisation of medical data can this problem be sorted out. It makes the process much more straightforward than before.
That is why the electronic health record system was introduced in healthcare units. It helped patients save all their previous medical records, eliminating any need to carry physical documents. It also improves the quality of treatment provided by physicians. It's because they would become aware of any lingering problems in your body before they prescribe any new medicines.
The following are some of the most commonly used types of electronic medical records:
Ambulatory EMR
For an efficient and effective outpatient service, the mobile EMR system was introduced. It was introduced mainly for the primary care units, small clinics, and various physicians involved in door-to-door service. Using an ambulatory electronic health record system, scheduling appointments with doctors, registration of patients, prescription medicines electronically, and documentation become more accessible than ever before.
When it comes to outpatient services, any other electronic health record system category would be of little use because only ambulatory EMR focuses on improving outpatient services effectively.
Acute Care EMR
The acute care EMR system differs entirely from the ambulatory EMR system, which focuses on improving outpatient services. However, when it comes to acute care EMR the focus shifts to providing exceptional care to all the inpatients depending upon their requirements. Some of the things that the critical care EMR system takes care of are the admission and discharge of the patient, etc.
It further involves keeping accurate time track of all the information associated with patients. Also, it checks all vital signs and lab results to find any irregularities regarding the patient's health. The inpatient services could often become quite troublesome for the health care units. That is why the acute care EMR system was the preferred choice, as it quickly solved complex situations related to inpatient services.
Specialty-specific EMR
Not all hospitals are specialised in providing treatments for various diseases that could be the reason behind the suffering of patients. That is why more speciality-specific medical units are being formed to ease the pressure from hospitals and improve the quality of treatment the patients receive according to their requirements.
Dermatology, ophthalmology, physiotherapy, and mental clinics are some of the familiar places. The speciality-specific EMR system becomes helpful because it is tied up with unique techniques catering only to specific needs. However, compared to other types of ehrs, flexibility and customisation are only possible with the speciality-specific EMR system.
Multi-specialty EMR
Whenever a hospital decides to provide all kinds of treatment to their patients, the multi-speciality EMR system could be ideal. It's unlimited to certain specific medical facilities. Also, the benefits of using multi-speciality EMR systems are much higher in number. This is compared to the ones provided by speciality-specific EMR systems.
Doctors can use many features and functions to find information about their patient's conditions. Moreover, it can also predict or suggest changes that might be required to provide the best treatment to the patients efficiently. Furthermore, instead of maintaining lots of different software, a unified system like multi-speciality EMR would be much better than the types of EMR mentioned in the article.
Cloud-based EMR
Suppose you are looking for an EMR system that helps store, manage, and access all patient information through remote servers with only internet access. In that case, the cloud-based EMR system might be the perfect choice for your healthcare unit.
Compared to all the other types of ehr systems, medicare providers can check out the information related to their patients from any part of the world if they have access to proper internet at all times. It even allows them to share the information of patients' data with other health workers. This is required to provide better overall treatment to those who need it.
Medical billing EMR system
The bills generated by the hospitals are one of the crucial aspects that keeps the hospital functioning. Thereby, they allow it to serve according to the needs of the patients regularly. All the money that patients pay for the treatment they receive goes into the profit books of the health care unit.
Furthermore, using a medical billing EMR system lets them have a good idea regarding the efficiency of their business, which they wouldn't be able to find out on using different types of EMR other than this.
If any error is found in the billing software, it will downgrade the overall standard of your hospital. It will happen in front of the patients who visit your clinic for treatment. Hence, if you use a medical billing EMR system, you can easily maintain an efficient billing mechanism that is error-prone for starters.
Application-based EMR system
Application service-based EMR system is a specific type of software entirely controlled by third-party providers. A nominal fee is charged for effectively providing the services to health care departments. Everything on this EMR system functions remotely on servers. It can only be accessed through good internet from any place you choose.
However, if the organisation decides to implement an application-based EMR system, then the software will handle the cost of maintenance. It will also take upgradation and security charges accordingly.
This is an excellent choice for hospitals seeking an efficient, secure, cost-effective EMR system. It ensures the safety and privacy of patient data stored in the software, which is crucial for any hospital.
Personalised EMR system
This type of EMR system is specifically designed for individual-based healthcare units. These are usually the ones that provide personalised service to their patients through various treatments.
These personalised EMR systems are specifically designed according to the requirements of those hospitals that want more customised solutions for their patients. This type of software is rare as it can be pretty expensive for some hospitals.
It offers a lot of features that other types of EMR systems do not, such as personalised data entry forms for patients, customised patient search options, and tailor-made appointment reminders. These features work together to provide a better overall experience for the patient and the hospital.
AI-powered EMR system
Artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare sector is on the rise. AI-powered EMR systems can be integrated with various AI-based technologies, such as natural language processing, automatic medical coding, and more. Thanks to these features, EMRs can be customised to meet a hospital's and its patients' individual needs.
AI-powered EMR systems allow healthcare providers to quickly identify the correct diagnosis and treatment for a particular patient. AI-based algorithms can also provide personalised care plans, check symptoms accurately, flag potential drug interactions, and more. This helps clinicians provide better patient care and make more informed decisions.
Additionally, AI-powered EMR systems can monitor patient progress over time and provide better insights into their health. This helps healthcare providers make more informed decisions and better predict outcomes.
These are some of the common types of EHR systems introduced to bring a revolution in the healthcare sector, thereby making it more innovative for starters. Using such types of EMR systems, hospitals could provide effective and efficient treatment to their patients. It can be done while adequately catering to and fulfilling all the demands.
Even the interaction between patients and doctors can be improved using the correct EMR system. It depends on the health care the organisation is based on. If the healthcare sector wants to grow and thrive like other sectors are doing, then quickly adopting all digital innovation would bring a change. It will be something for which everyone has been eagerly waiting for ages.
Does EHR improve the quality of care?
Electronic health record boosts caregivers' work in improving their ability to spot potential risk. It's arising in the patients' bodies through preventive measures, improving the overall quality of care.
What is the most critical component of EHR?
The most crucial component of EHR is the billing system. The billing records maintained by the hospitals hold great importance due to their direct involvement with profitability, productivity, and efficiency. It keeps track of patients' bills throughout their time under hospital care.
Is EHR cost-effective?
Even though implementing electronic health records is quite expensive for hospitals as an investment. But, if it is seen from a long-term perspective, the financial benefits it provides to the hospital by reducing cost and increasing revenue cover up a significant part of the investment.
How does EHR improve operations?
The Electronic Health Record improves the quality of treating physicians. It provides for its patients by helping them discover potential issues or allergies. They might be pre-existing in their bodies before prescribing any medicines.