What do the best health records systems offer professionals?

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are patient records that capture the state of a patient’s current health condition. They are stored online, allowing for information to be accessed securely and immediately. EHRs often contain the medical history of patients,their diagnoses and current treatment plans, and medical test results.

With online software, EHRs can be shared with any authorized healthcare and insurance providers, as well as having a high degree of interoperability across healthcare practices and organisations. While many healthcare businesses produce software to facilitate the best EHR management for small and large practices, there are many ways you can utilize health record systems to deliver high quality healthcare solutions.

EHR is the best way to deliver healthcare solutions across practices, as it enables a highly integrated workflow and a secure way of managing patient data. There are numerous reasons why EHR is the best solution for even small practices, as incorporating its processes into your practice will produce immense benefits.

• Improved quality of care - EHRs significantly minimize errors, as they eliminate the need for handwritten notes that are prone to errors and mistakes. The accuracy of documentation is greater with EHRs, and system alerts can notify of any risks, breaches, or mistakes, as well as having the data capabilities to track trends and patterns. The reports generated produce highly valuable insight, allowing you to work towards better treatment of your patients.
• Convenience - EHRs are highly convenient and allow for a high degree of organizational efficiency within your healthcare practice. This includes cutting administrative and overhead costs, saving office space and reducing labor. The funds that your practice saves from these cuts can be efficiently used elsewhere. Patient satisfaction is also likely to increase with the ability for clients to easily access medical records, with the additional advantage of administrative staff no longer having to spend time locating and accessing these files.‍
• Improves communication - Because EHRs are online, anyone can access their content from any place, as long as they have internet connection. For example, you can collaborate and confer with doctors from across the country on a patient’s condition if needed, increasing effective communication and efficiency. It also improves the quality of interaction between practitioners and patients and allows for greater transparency when it comes to patient data.

The best EHR companies will incorporate the following aspects into their health record systems. 

Clinical documentation

To create the most efficient patient notes, there should be clinical documentation templates and resources embedded in the software. This way you can easily assess and review patient history, as well as use progress note templates to work towards successful healthcare treatment plans. Clinical documents are one of the most important aspects of EHRs as they reflect medical reasoning, so having good systems in place is essential. 

Ownership of your patient schedule & appointments

The best EHR systems should take advantage of an optimized appointment booking and scheduling system that effectively manages patient traffic. The ability for automated rescheduling options for patients who cannot make their appointment also allows for greater control. Automated appointment reminders significantly reduce no-shows, which are costly for your healthcare practice, and waste valuable time and energy.

Online payment option from your patients, anytime

Online payments are a much more convenient way to manage financial information, as payments can be made from anywhere and at any time. Integrating an online payment option into your healthcare practice allows for higher patient satisfaction and faster processing of payments. Because of their convenience, online payments are far less likely to cause delays in transactions for your business. 

Bank-level encryption

With bank-level encryption, you can ensure that your patient data is kept secure and safe from any potential security breaches. This is vital when dealing with highly sensitive medical information that contains private contact details, bank information, and medical history data. Bank-level encryption greatly decreases the risk of information being hacked and provides you with the confidence that your records are safe.

Ability to keep up-to-date with clients

Online health record systems mean that information can be uploaded, edited, added, amended, or removed at any point in time to keep data up to date. Clients can communicate with their healthcare practitioners at any time, wherever they may be, through video conferencing, calling, and messaging. Keeping up to date with clients is a brilliant business practice to build, strengthen, and sustain professional relationships, and provide the care that patients need.

Brings your team and their clients together in one place

Health record systems allow for an integrated workflow system, where you can communicate and confer with fellow healthcare professionals in one place. You do not need to organize synced meetings across platforms, with all the information and resources you need in just one place. It’s a highly convenient way to deliver healthcare solutions and work to provide the best care for your patients.

When it comes to mental health, EHRs are no exception as being one of the best ways to manage patient information. Clinical notes are made easy with online use, regardless of what discipline you work in. EHRs have proven useful for mental health private practices and therapists, due to their indisputable benefits:

• Great medication management - An EHR system can easily monitor and track the use of prescription drugs in real-time, which significantly reduces the risk of prescription errors. This way, patients can receive a high level of care and feel confident that their safety is taken care of.
• Accessibility - EHRs can be accessed regardless of where you are in the world, making them a highly convenient option. This is particularly significant for those who need immediate access to medical records in the case of life-threatening situations. 
• Information sharing - EHRs make information sharing simple, with records able to be accessed by authorized healthcare professionals across business practices. This is a much more efficient process and reduces time and delays in having to wait for access grants. 
• High security - With bank-level encryption, EHRs can protect patient information and data more than handwritten notes ever could. Due to various security protocols in place, you can be assured that there is a heavily reduced risk of information being breached. 
• Streamlined billing - Medical billing and coding processes are easier than ever with EHR systems, as automated reviews and artificial intelligence work to ensure you have minimal mistakes and the appropriate content is billed correctly.

Conclusion

Electronic health record systems are the most efficient way to manage patient information from one place. They provide immense benefits in being able to store clinical documents online, as well as conducting online payments and providing appointment scheduling options. EHRs are revolutionizing the way healthcare solutions are delivered, providing a highly convenient and secure platform for both patients and practitioners.

Carepatron can help you integrate online systems into your practice, with all of the streamlined features offered in their various payment plans, including a free option. EHRs don’t have to be complicated, and with the right software, you can continue strengthening your relationship with your patients and have high clinical performance.

Further reading:

• Reducing the Clinician Burden: Shaping Health IT as an Asset
• The Current State of Health IT and EHR in America