These days all we seem to hear about is how EHR’s are the only way to go but, what’s really behind the smoke and mirrors making weeks of training and hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth it? The possibilities are endless, my friend, but here are 5 great examples about how the right EHR can really be a game changer for your facility.
Scheduler
How many times has an appointment been cancelled or changed but that information never reached the schedule and now we have a seemingly “No Show” on your hands? Having a scheduler that is integrated with your main hospital EHR can eliminate double documentation, reduce scheduling errors, keeps records of all changes and even allow reporting! Reviewing reports may not seem incredibly important at first but wouldn’t it be great to identify patterns in cancellations/rescheduling and what the most popular day of the week requested for a certain procedure, trends to identify when you are at capacity and when you are not ensuring appropriate supply and staffing?
Reporting
Having data is fantastic, but having easy access to clear reports that allow for data driven decision in real time is what matters most. Having over 150 canned reports that can be run with a click of a button ranging from clinical, financial and operational perspectives makes data useful and accessible!
Infection Prevention
This has been a “Hot Topic” in the news the past year and for good reason. Electronic tracking can not only prevent a defective or un-sanitized scope from being used, it can also track the entire flow of the scope right down to the detergent used to sanitize, the technician who cleaned the scope, the physicians who used the scope and what patients it was used on today and 3 scopes ago. Preventing one hospital acquired infection makes an electronic solution worth the investment!
E-Prescribing
Don’t feel backed into a corner on this one, it’s really a great tool that makes everyone’s lives easier! Yes, this is becoming required but, what does it mean for you? Accurate prescriptions! Directly sending prescriptions to the pharmacist not only prevents fill errors, but automatically finds drug-drug interactions, reduces wait times for the patients, tracks all the prescriptions the patient has filled, allows you to send notes to the pharmacist and can provide directions in the patients first language. All of these help to keep your patients safe.
Patient Portal
Patient engagement starts in your office but it certainly does not end there! Equipping your patient with the ability to access educational information that you provide , reach your office via email, and see their records electronically not only puts your patient at ease but also reduces the amount of follow-up calls your office may need to do while still engaging the patient. They can even access the images from their procedures to share with other providers or family such as ultrasound results.