Electronic medical records are a must-have acquisition for all hospitals, as these dramatically reduce the amount of space required for storing paper files. Plus, EMR systems help tremendously with workflow, since all the medical data can be accessed with a few keystrokes. Doctors would type their patients’ name and retrieve valuable information that is continually updated regarding their health condition. Not only that, but the electronic medical records would be accessible via online through secure networks that connect all hospitals.
EMR software provides numerous automated administrative tools, including scheduling systems, which would provide more timely service to patients. Doctors can also add notes and prescriptions into a patient’s electronic medical record which in turn can help other doctors in other locations, states or countries to access that information for better patient care.
Some EMR systems use templates and macro-building, so the more notes you do, the more the software knows how you do it and ultimately use a few keystrokes to input frequently-used terms or phrases. Other EMR systems may require typing, which also saves your practice money on transcriptions. This way, you can use the time spent on charting, note-taking and prescription writing, to see more patients. You will feel less rushed and your patients will feel that they get a better encounter.
Also, when you prescribe new medication to a patient, you will do so electronically so that it shows up on the person’s medical file. The EMR software compares that medication to the patient’s medical history and it will send an alert if the new medication could cause allergic reactions or interact negatively with other drugs. In this way, we can prevent medical errors before they happen.
While there is a substantial up front cost for large facilities to switch over to digital records, the long term savings in terms of staffing and being better able to use space that was dedicated to paper files in the past will more than pay for itself.