Need a Little Help with EMR?

Don’t Know Much About Electronic Medical Records? Here’s a Little Help

Electronic Medical Records and the retirement of your old paper based patient charts. It’s not a matter if, just matter of when.

The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA) devotes more than 30 pages to Healthcare Information Technology and the adoption of Electronic Medical/Electronic Health Records (EMR/EHR). Title XIII of the ARRA calls for all US medical physicians to adopt use of EMR by the year 2014. It calls for financial incentives to ease the financial burden of such an undertaking,

There are many schools of thought on EMR, it’s benefits, drawbacks. The safeguarding of a patient’s data and increased efficiency for the entire medical encounter (Registration, insurance verification, documentation of an exam, diagnosis, proper treatment plans, electronic order (lab tests, prescriptions, imaging) are some of the basic expectations of EMR systems.

Challenge 1: There are hundreds of EMR systems to make a choice from.
Challenge 2: The Entire medical staff must be convinced embrace and use the new EMR system.

Once these challenges have been faced and settled, here are a few tips on what to expect as you move from paper-based medical charts to a computerized EMR system:

Scan existing paper records. Slow and steady wins this race. Scan, convert and capture for current patient, the patients you do not expect to see for awhile can wait.

Electronic prescription ordering is next. Patients will appreciate the medications waiting for them at their pharmacy. Keep in mind that EMR, done properly, can provide a tremendous convenience to your patients, resulting in compliance and more patients. Make no mistake, soon patients (all 300+million of us) will be saying If my physician does not have an EMR system, I’ll go to a doctor who does”.

Next, you further automate the workflow of the office. Consider a website and online registration and scheduling for new and existing patients. Bye-bye, clipboard. As your phone stops ringing, but you are seeing more patients, signs of improved efficiency are sprouting. Also, start communicating a patient’s healthcare coverage from the insurance company to avoid billing “surprises”.

Doctors and Physicians, you come next. Electronically documenting your examination findings will protect your practice legally and help you to qualify for financial incentives for the “meaningful use” of a EMR system.

Every journey begins with a first step. Here’s wishing you success on the next big thing in keeping US medical care the best in the world.