EHR systems have transformed the way care is delivered and managed, enabling doctors to access patient data quickly and efficiently. This is just one example of the use of EHRs, and in this blog, we will explore how EHRs are transforming the healthcare system and enhancing patient care. Let’s first start with a brief introduction to EHR systems.
What is an EHR System?
An EHR (Electronic Health Record) system is a digital platform that allows the healthcare staff to store, manage, and share patient medical information electronically. It provides a secure environment, replacing the traditional paper charts with detailed digital records. Moreover, the EHR can contain medical history, treatment records, laboratory results, prescriptions, and other relevant healthcare information. You need to know about the key features of EHR before you reach out to an EHR software development company, so let us tell you all about it.
- Centralized Patient Data
An EHR system gathers the data in one place, accessible only to authorized healthcare professionals.
- Secure Access
These systems protect patient privacy through security measures, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) and authorized access, helping healthcare providers remain compliant with regulations such as HIPAA.
- Interoperability Tools
EHRs should support the sharing of patient records with other systems, such as HL7 and FHIR.
- Patient Portal Access
Patient portals enable patients to view their health records, communicate with their healthcare providers, and schedule appointments.
Now that you are familiar with the necessary features, let us inform you about the types of EHRs that can help you determine which one is best suited to your needs.
Types of EHR Systems
EHR systems generally fall into two categories: those hosted on-site by the physician and those hosted remotely by third-party providers. Let us tell you all about these EHRs.
- Physician-hosted EHR System
These EHR systems are physically located on the servers of physicians within the healthcare facility. This helps hospitals, clinics, and private practices have direct control over their data. However, a considerable investment is required in terms of hardware and infrastructure. Furthermore, the responsibility for software updates and maintenance falls on the provider.
- Remote EHR Systems
These are deployed on servers owned and managed by an external vendor, and healthcare providers don’t have to pay for the infrastructure; instead, they pay a small fee. This fee is for the data storage and computing resources, and the two options you can have here are:
- Dedicated Hosting involves deploying the EHR software on third-party servers allocated exclusively to a single organization, ensuring it is not shared with other users.
- Cloud Hosting refers to the EHR software developed to run on cloud infrastructure, such as AWS and Azure. Here, the other tenants may share the server, and you may need to assess the cloud provider’s compliance with data protection regulations, such as HIPAA.
Whether it is remote or on-site, the EHR has revolutionized healthcare software development by transforming the way data is stored, managed, and accessed. Additionally, by helping healthcare providers with data protection and compliance, we can provide more insight into how these systems are transforming the healthcare system from the ground up.
How EHRs are Transforming Healthcare Medical Practice?
The EHRs are reshaping the healthcare ecosystem, and here’s how:
- Access to Data
A patient portal enables patients to access their healthcare information, allowing them to review their medical records, test results, and medication history. Additionally, they assist with booking appointments, requesting prescription refills, and communicating with healthcare providers. While these platforms also have doctor portals, which provide access to patient information and manage clinical tasks, helping doctors get a real-time view of patient history and securely store it.
- Interoperability
The healthcare ecosystem is as busy as ever, and healthcare providers need an efficient transfer of patient health information. For instance, there is a patient who has relocated to another location and is now facing a health issue. The patient contacts the local healthcare provider, but the provider needs access to the patient’s previous medical records to treat the patient effectively. In this situation, EHR systems can help transmit data securely in compliance with data protection regulations.
- Enhanced Document Management
EHR software or systems are best suited for managing documents as they organize, store, and retrieve data. Furthermore, EHRs can scan and categorize patient care documents, ensuring easy access to data, which enhances data accuracy and helps improve collaboration among healthcare providers.
- Prescription Management
This feature of EHRs has completely transformed healthcare delivery, enabling healthcare providers to electronically prescribe medications. So that patients don’t have to go to pharmacies with their prescriptions physically. Furthermore, this feature is also helpful in saving patient medication histories and accessing them whenever required, as well as checking for drug interactions. It also reduces errors and allows patients to request refills, maintaining the continuity of care.
- Reporting Capabilities
This capability of EHR has revolutionized the healthcare industry, as it involves generating reports from patient and operational data. These reports help track patient outcomes and monitor healthcare system compliance with data protection regulations. It is also helpful as it enables healthcare providers to identify at-risk patients and refine treatment strategies. Thus improving the efficiency in hospital operations and financial management.
- Personalization
The EHRs store patient data securely with features like MFA and access controls, moreover helping the healthcare providers get access to data whenever they want. This is useful for doctors in viewing patient history in real-time, which allows them to create a personalized treatment plan.
- Preventive Care
EHRs play a pivotal role in setting up a culture of preventive or proactive care. As we have mentioned before, EHRs can securely store data and make it available for their doctors with just a tap. Additionally, this helps doctors not only analyze data but also detect any abnormalities or anomalies and provide treatment before any further complications arise. Thus, leading and shaping the culture of early detection and intervention, while also supporting the culture of preventive care.
- Improved Revenue Cycle Management
EHRs with features associated with the hospital’s financial operations, such as invoicing, claims, and payments, enable healthcare providers to view real-time data on revenue and expenses. This helps bring transparency and efficiency into the financial operations of healthcare institutions, in addition to reducing billing mistakes and streamlining reimbursement procedures. Remember, this feature is mandatory. If you are considering building an EHR, ask the EHR software development company you have chosen to include it.
- Remote or Telehealth Services
The EHRs, with their remote or telehealth capabilities, can be of immense importance in emergency or disaster cases, as they enable healthcare providers to deliver telehealth services to their patients regardless of their location. Moreover, this has also encouraged patients to continue their care, saving costs and time.
- Compliance and Security
The security and privacy of patient data are crucial in the healthcare sector, and to protect this data, compliance with laws such as HIPAA is necessary. For instance, measures such as two-factor authentication, authorized access, encryption, and audit trails can help protect data. Here, the EHRs play a crucial role by storing and safeguarding patient data, while also providing authorized access to it.
- Data Driven Decision Making
EHRs can be considered a treasure trove of data, providing healthcare professionals with valuable insights into health trends and patterns. This can help stop any health crisis or pandemic before it causes havoc. Moreover, physicians can also access their patients’ data, analyze the patterns, predict diseases or disorders, and create personalized treatment plans. Many AI-powered solutions are now helping to analyze patient data efficiently.
Conclusion
Building an EHR can be a complex task in healthcare software development, but once built and deployed correctly, it can do wonders for healthcare providers. Indeed, EHRs have become an integral part of hospitals and clinics. If you are considering developing one, this is the best time to do so.
