How an EHR System Supports Value-based Care
The healthcare industry has benefitted greatly since the launch of electronic health records. While it directly impacts patient care and treatment outcomes, the benefit of leveraging an EHR system is far-reaching.
The main reason every healthcare organization must adapt to an EHR system. It offers ease of access & sharing of patient data with multiple stakeholders in real-time. But before we explore how exactly it can impact patient experience and operational efficiency, let’s understand what EHR is.
What is EHR?
Electronic health records are digital records of patients that were maintained earlier on paper charts. These records comprise a patient’s medical history which can be shared across the healthcare ecosystem to deliver optimal care and personalized treatment.
7 Ways an EHR System Can Enhance Care Quality & Patient Experience
Informed Care Decisions
Patient treatments can be personalized with a comprehensive EHR system. How? EHR systems provide healthcare physicians with analytics that facilitate identifying patterns, diagnosis of infectious diseases, and treatment recommendations. That’s not all. Integrated EHR systems can also schedule appointments and cut down on the waiting times for patients. They can also access e-prescriptions and order medications online without having to visit a pharmacy. EHR systems also improve communication between patients and physicians with instant sharing of notes, real-time messaging and video conferencing capabilities.
Improved Operational Efficiency
EHR systems streamline daily workflow right from appointment scheduling and diagnosis to prescription management and post-treatment care. With all the data available on one centralized platform, it gets easier for physicians to speed up and smoothen out their daily workflow. EHR also proves to be highly resourceful for treating patients with a complicated medical history of multiple chronic conditions.
Patient Compliance & Engagement
With an EHR system, patients can view their medical records, refer to the doctor’s notes, ask follow-up questions, and have their queries resolved about treatments they’re not familiar with. This ensures the accuracy of medical records and facilitates patient education. Studies have confirmed that educated patients are compliant in their medical journey and strive to improve their medical conditions. When they are actively involved with their physicians, it becomes easier to achieve positive treatment outcomes sooner.
Reduced Cost
A distinct advantage of custom EHR system development is that it helps discharge well-coordinated patient care. This technology is tailored to facilitate accurate documentation, timely patient appointments and eliminates the possibility of duplicate testing. These vital aspects also directly impact cost savings for both physicians and patients who’ve claimed their insurances.
Improved Treatment Outcomes
All it takes to make a difference in any healthcare setting is a centralized repository of data that can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Whether the patient is recuperating at home or visiting a medical practice for a follow-up visit, the complete medical history is available in an instant without any modification. It is possible to review information on chronic illnesses, medications, allergies and more. This data is captured by the EHR system and can be used for identifying healthcare patterns in patients.
Empowered Patients
When patients can review their medical records on-demand, they are in a much better position to manage their overall health and well-being. Patient portals can be customized to offer better drug information, historical medical data and lab results. All of these eventually translate to smooth communication and a more convenient way to schedule appointments and refill prescriptions.
Enhanced Patient Safety & Satisfaction
EHR systems with integrated patient portals speed up and streamline treatment procedures. They also enhance remote patient-provider communication and improve staff efficiency, thereby promoting the satisfaction level among patients. Also, features like e-prescriptions enable patients to receive their prescriptions and order drugs online.
Key Takeaways
Without a doubt, electronic health records are changing the way clinical data and patient health records are stored, shared, and managed. And this has resulted in the inaccurate interpretation of medical information leading to enhanced care quality and an overall efficient healthcare system. Care providers can also cut their costs of paper bills and eliminate piles of accounting documents. If you’re ready for a digital transformation with custom EHR system development, think no more.
