staff EMRs can make physicians’ jobs more accessible by reducing time spent on paperwork. They also eliminate the issues associated with indecipherable handwriting and misplaced files and allow remote access to patient charts.
They can help doctors keep track of medications, reduce drug-to-drug interactions, and ensure accurate prescribing. However, there are also a few downsides to using EHRs.
Improved Patient Care
When physicians have quick access to comprehensive patient information, they can diagnose problems sooner. This results in better treatment and outcomes.
EHRs provide various tools to assist with medical decision-making, including alerts for drug interactions and evidence-based guidelines. This means fewer errors and more time for physicians to spend with patients.
Digitized records like PT documentation software allow easy collaboration between practices, clinics, labs, and referring specialists. This coordination can reduce redundant tests and improve care.
With EHRs, patients can access their medical charts and medications instantly. This can help them make healthier choices and take control of their health. It can also help them schedule appointments more efficiently and stay on top of their annual screenings.
Additionally, EMRs can provide a patient portal to access their medical records and interact with their medical providers online. This can be especially helpful for patients who are ill or living with chronic conditions.
Reduced Errors
Using an EMR reduces paperwork and manual data entry errors often occurring with traditional paper charts. This saves clinics the cost of printing, storing, and handling paperwork and time spent chasing down information that isn’t complete or accurate.
When an error is found, promptly correcting the record is essential to prevent further damage and ensure that other medical professionals can access the most up-to-date documents. Staff can minimize confusion in future encounters by clearly identifying the corrected information and explaining why it was necessary to fix it.
In addition to reducing documentation errors, an EMR can help physicians avoid redundant tests and unnecessary procedures by providing quick access to results. This allows them to provide patients with the most comprehensive care possible. It can also improve communication between doctors and nurses.
Increased Efficiency
EMRs allow physicians to document patient information more accurately and legibly digitally. Additionally, they have features that enable them to track and monitor patients over time. This allows them to identify at-risk populations and potential gaps in care that might lead to adverse outcomes.
The ease of access that EMRs provide means less time spent chasing paper charts and more time for staff to focus on other tasks, such as scheduling, billing, and patient follow-ups. It also means physicians can return to the core of their jobs—caring for patients.
Studies have shown that EMR use is associated with more physician productivity during visits for a new or chronic problem and with more diagnostic/screening services. Additionally, EMRs help clinicians make more accurate decisions when prescribing medications or ordering tests.
They can be more precise when describing symptoms or performing exams, and they can also use templates for a history and physical exam to ensure that all required data is recorded. These features reduce the amount of documentation that needs to be re-read by physicians for billing purposes.
Increased Revenue
EMR software allows clinics to document patient data digitally for various purposes. These include patient outreach, reminders, and communication with hospitals, labs, and other clinicians. It records test results quickly and accurately, reducing costs and preventing duplicate tests. It also provides safeguards to avoid treatments that conflict with one another and helps researchers study patterns of care in clinical settings.
Digital records eliminate the risk of loss, misplacement, or damage to sensitive information. Unlike paper charts, EMRs can be accessed from anywhere in the world. This improves workflow for physicians, who no longer have to spend time retrieving a patient’s chart and can access a complete patient history with just a few mouse clicks.
In addition, EMRs help reduce staff costs by eliminating the need for filing and transcribing duties. This saves employment costs and frees space for more productive uses, like exam rooms.
