Electronic medical records, also called EHR, have been used by many HMO providers and large hospitals for many years. EMR, or EHR, software enables large companies to trace, access and store medical records. What's new is that smaller medical clinics and offices everywhere are now starting to reap the benefits of adopting this technology.
It has become clear that this product is just as important in a small clinic that does not handle as much volume as a larger medical center. Physicians who run a private practice can dynamically advance their operations by considering EMR software.
1. Workflow Benefits - It's a basic fact: medical practices and clinics that use paper medical records rarely have experts "design" their practice work process. Meanwhile, every electronic medical records developer with any credibility will automatically design a workflow process that is customized to the practice when a new adotpion occurs. The more efficient your practice is, the more time you'll have, and we all know that time is money.
2. Space - Much like time, if there's something the single doctor medical practice or clinic probably doesn't have an embarrassment of riches with, it's storage space. Paper medical records can fill up a whole lot of space. Often they have a huge footprint, especially in a practice with a smaller office. At the same time, electronic medical records are typically housed on a single database, accessible via network within the office. No longer is it required to have a special room for medical records. By computerizing, the space requirements are massively lessened.
3) More Accurate Information - Digital medical records are created using a consistent format and are subject to fewer errors. Handwritten material can lead to mistakes because handwriting is inconsistent. This is the source of a lot of miscommunication within a practice. All data that is entered into the EMR system will be presented in the same format, so any missing or improperly entered information is very visible.
4. Transportability - Today's medical practitioner is a mover. No longer is it the case that a doctor is in the practice for a large majority of the day. With outcalls, multi-practice setups and in-hospital consultations, today's medical practitioner needs the ability to access his patient records immediately, and often remotely. Electronic medical records makes this happen securely, and with speed. Using a simple PDA or smart phone, a physician can check out medical histories, add to notes or arrange appointments - all via wireless web. The savings in courier costs alone are amazing.
5. Incentives - The Recent Government Stimulus Program offers an additional $44,000 in Medicare rebate subsidies or up to $64,000 in Medicaid for doctors that "meaningfully adopt" emr in their practices. This means, quite obviously, that the Federal Government is in fact paying doctors to adopt EMR. What's more, if you decide against adoption, your practice will encounter Medicare and Medicaid payment reductions starting in 2015.
The government subsidies coupled with the need to avoid Medicare penalties should be enough to persuade any private practice owner to move their practice to electronic medical records now.
Getting your practice started with electronic health records can work wonders for your practice. Check out http://www.electronicmedicalrecords.org/ for a variety of tips on how to achieve "meaningful use", how time is your enemy when it comes to incentives, and how the best EMR offers extremely fast ROI.
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