You can have a long list of long-term benefits if you shift towards an electronic medical record system, but initially, you might encounter some difficulties. However, it will get easier after your electronic medical records (EMR) have been implemented entirely. You’ll be relieved from most of the challenges associated with the workflow, but your system’s management and maintenance will still be an active process.

Keeping yourself updated about the process and maintaining strategies to deal with difficulties will ensure your workplace’s smooth functioning as you adapt to a continuously changing healthcare IT environment. After implementation, the most critical areas of focus are optimization, IT support, and security.

Securing Patient Information

If you are using EMR, securing your patient’s information will be one of your top priorities. According to one survey conducted by Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), 20% of respondents reported a security breach in the previous year. In any workplace, you must possess a written privacy and security policy, and you must also ensure that all your employees have the necessary training on security procedures.

To guarantee that only the right people have access to sensitive information, you must re-evaluate the authorization permitted to every staff member. This can be done either through the access-control list of role-based controls. You should also change passwords frequently and set up your system to automatically log out after a certain period.

The Right IT Support

Your EMR will receive routine updates that may alter specific processes or screen views. Whether it’s through your EMR vendor or in-house, proper IT support is essential to adapt to the modifications without any workflow disturbances. Have a clear communication line with EMY system professionals and have a concrete strategy to discuss downtimes in case of updates or maintenance.

System Optimization and Sharing Health Information

In the survey conducted by HIMSS, about 20% of respondents reported that physicians’ systems were their main clinical focus, including physician documentation, computerized physician order entry, and clinical decision support solutions. Optimization means enhancing workflow and ensuring that your system meets your practice’s requirements.

The ONC (Office of the National Co-Ordinator for Health information Technology) promotes an optimization strategy based on continuous quality improvement, which encourages organizations to routinely review their performance and ways to be more efficient and effective. In the case of health IT, it means optimizing EMR and realizing meaningful use, and improving population health and patient outcomes.

Exchange of Health Information

Engaging in the exchange of health information and interoperability are essential for optimization and critical for achieving stage two of meaningful use, as stated by the ONC. Sharing information from the patient’s lab results and chart and integrating that into the patient’s electronic records enhances accuracy and productivity. This also provides the patient with a smoother experience between care settings.

For interoperability and exchange of healthcare information, various tools are available. Mobile MD is one such tool. Through this web-based system, physicians can access patients’ imaging results, lab results, and other transcribed reports. The information is set in the patient’s electronic chart.

Conclusion

The exchange of health information is vital for improving population health. Sharing patients’ data offers a more comprehensive view of regional health and allows communication for coming up with mechanisms to address population health. The electronic medical record provides numerous benefits, and it will continue to evolve. Maintain an adaptable plan to ensure continuous optimization and training.