After writing a blog on the features of practice management, I thought it would be a good idea to construct a write-up on the features of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) too. One can simply not disagree; that it is because of value adding features that EMR provides to physicians that EMR technology has not only survived but also is gaining momentum. From merely documenting patient encounters to assist in improving the quality of care, EMR is now considered to be a complete decision support system – integrated with patient portal and practice management.
Before I talk about some of the features that EMR provide, I should mention cloud based EMRs. They have completely eliminated the need to spend thousands of dollars to implement the solution. Physicians can now opt for a certified EMR by merely paying a minimal monthly subscription fee. While many vendors claim to have certified EMRs, in reality, only the most renowned vendors offer certified EMRs to physicians. Let’s talk about some of the features now.
Customizable workflow: The industry renowned EMR offers complete customizability to physicians. Based upon the requirements and specialties, physicians can optimize their workflows. The easily configurable templates adapt to the physician’s preference – helping them ensure more accuracy than ever before.
Auto-Note: This feature has eliminated the need of typing long sentences. Physicians just need to point and click, and based on the selection, EMR automatically constructs the sentences and paragraphs. This saves time and reduces the chances of making errors.
Health Management: EMRs are also equipped with built-in preventive care mechanisms. The system automatically sends alerts if there exists a chance of drug to drug interactions. They also generate compliance reports.
Clinical overview and patient education: Interestingly, the EMR also provides physicians with a longitudinal summary of alerts, trends, and patient history on a single screen. Physicians do not have to switch between different screens to see different parameters. Another feature is that of providing patient education. EMRs promote patient wellness by providing patients with guidelines to improve care management.
With a wide array of choices available to physicians, majority of them, nowadays, opt the all-in-one solutions. These solutions integrate EMR, practice management and patient portal in a single, affordable package. While the EMR helps physicians with their tasks, patient portals help ensure better physician and patient communication.
Having talked about patient portals, they have come a long way from merely being a tool to facilitate communication. From scheduling appointments to viewing lab results to requesting prescription, patients can do it all using the patient portals. Hence, it seems that product vendors clearly comprehended the importance of patient engagement.
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