The Ultimate Guide To An EMR System?

Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is an electronic record of health-related information about a person that can be created, accumulated, managed, and consulted by approved clinicians and staff inside one healthcare organization.

In other words, an EMR is a digitalized paper chart that includes all of the key administrative and clinical data relevant to that person’s care under a particular service provider, including demographic trends, progress notes, problems, meds, vital signs, past health history, immunizations, laboratory data, and radiology reports.

It gives a full picture of a patient’s medical history and replaces paper charts and manual workflows in a doctor’s office with digital files and electronic transmissions. In short, an Electronic Medical Record is indeed an electronic version of a paper chart.

An EMR System is a group of interoperable software programs and solutions, such as EMR Software, Practice Software Solutions, ePrescription, Dashboards, telemedicine, interfaces to laboratories and clearinghouses, workflow tools, a patient portal, etc., that work together to make it easy to create, update, and manage EMRs securely.

It helps doctors and nurses give better care to their patients, stay in compliance, and cut costs. Pay attention to the word integrated. It means putting together a set of separate parts that work together to make a harmonious and connected whole.

How should you know about EMR?

• EMR is meant to replace the paper chart and make it easier to track and document information in practice.
• EMR doesn’t go with the patient, and information can’t be shared between healthcare networks and systems.
• Electronic medical records are a technology that makes digitization possible and has other benefits and features that make care more efficient and better.
• The workflows, procedures, and processes of a certain organization and medical specialty are considered when making an Electronic Medical Records System. So, you will see EMRs for Pediatrics or Cardiology, for example. These specialty-specific EMRs have templates and features that make it easier for a specialty practice to provide care, document it, and bill for it.
• Clinical decision support and lab and imaging services may also be part of an EMR system, but all of these parts are tightly structured around the individual doctor and practice requirements.

Medical Records on Paper vs Electronic Records

An electronic medical record is like a digital version of a paper chart in a doctor’s office. This is the best way to explain what it is. EMR can:

• Gather demographic information about the patients.
• Please write down the patient’s visits, treatment history, and how they responded to treatment.
• Measure and track data and health over time
• Determine which people are due for preventative services and routine care.
• Gather data to help track and improve the quality of care in practice as a whole

Clinicians in practice find these functions to be very helpful. People often use the terms “electronic medical record” and “electronic health record” synonymously, but there are distinctions between the two. An electronic healthcare record is limited to the information collected and kept on a single person in a medical practice or healthcare system. Its main purpose is to make things easier for the staff in that practice.

Advantages of electronic medical record systems

EMR systems help both practices as well as their patients in many ways. There are five main types of benefits that both patients and providers can get from using EMRs. These are:

• Better care for patients at every stage of their care.
• Care will be better coordinated, and records will be easier.
• Through less paperwork and getting rid of redundant tasks, the practice will be more efficient and save money.
• Make it easier for patients to take part and share information.
• Better diagnostics and better patient results, such as more accurate prescriptions and higher patient satisfaction levels.

Key Features of EMR Systems

For security, quality, and care efficiency, EMR systems should provide the following group of 8 key functions:

• Doctors can see information about their patients, like their diagnoses, allergies, lab results, and medications.
• Providers in different care settings can see both new and old test results.
• Computerized supplier order entry makes it easier to read, cuts down on duplicates, and speeds up the speed at which orders are carried out.
• Computerized decision-support systems can help ensure that best clinical practices are followed, that screenings are done regularly, and that other preventive measures are taken.
• Secure electronic communication between providers and patients can improve the continuity of care, speed up diagnoses and treatments, and reduce the number of bad things that happen.
• Patients can access their health records, disease management tools, and health information.
• Computerized ways to run the administration, like scheduling systems.
• Electronic storage and reporting of data based on standards for patient care and disease surveillance.

Various kinds of EMR systems

Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems come in two types:

• Cloud-based EMR
• Server-based EMR

Both have pros and cons, so it’s important to figure out which might be better for your practice.

What is Cloud-based EMR Systems?

EMR systems that run in the cloud are stored on a third-party server that can be accessed over the Internet. The third-party vendor takes care of all server hardware, security, and updates to the software. They can be subscribed to for a low price each month. One of the best things about these services is that medical offices don’t have to pay for the hardware and maintenance costs that come with installing medical systems on-site.

What is a Server-based EMR System?

An EMR system based on a server is kept at your practice. With an on-premise deployment, you have control over the equipment, which is both a plus and a minus. When EMR systems are used in-house, an IT expert must maintain the hardware, software, and data they store. If your equipment breaks down, it can add costs you didn’t expect.