At a hospital, electronic medical records are used to streamline many essential activities: patient records, billing histories, prescriptions, maintenance requests, equipment scheduling, hospital capacity, personnel records, and more. Since hospitals are extremely complex organizations, these software packages can have massive feature sets to handle it all. Focusing on some of the key feature areas will help you choose the right system.
Entering hospital data into electronic medical records
EMR technology has advanced so that standard computer terminals are just one way to input data in the system. The equipment available to hospitals for use in electronic medical records systems now includes tablet PCs, handheld PDAs, and voice recognition, as well desktop workstations. This increases your staff's productivity because they have multiple ways to access and input data.
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Variable access levels
The security of patient data is integral to electronic medical records. Hospitals are required by HIPAA to safeguard patient records, and so most EMR applications allow you to set specific access levels and track individual usage. For example, you can give each staff member different permissions: only doctors can edit their patients' data, but administrative clerks can view it and add their own notes. You may also want to give some doctors and nurses the ability to schedule specific diagnostic equipment, but not all.
Referrals and transfers
Most patients who visit a hospital will see multiple doctors and administrative personnel, which is why a hospital with electronic medical records is far more efficient. Rather than having to physically convey a folder of information between physicians, patient records can be accessed through the computer system at each stop on their visit.
In some cases, hospitals that are a part of a group of health care facilities share EMR systems for patient and physician convenience. Even if a patient is referred to a doctor at another physical location, the information is available. This means faster service for patients whose lives depend on the productivity and efficiency of the hospital.
Industry specifics
Some hospitals choose electronic medical records geared toward a specific type of health care service. For example, you can find physician EMR systems for outpatient rehabilitation centers and for children's hospitals, which means that the program is more highly customizable. For a hospital that focuses on one specific area of care, this might be the best solution.
Integration
You might also want to look into hospital electronic medical records software that allows you to integrate multiple tasks into one program. The most common example is medical billing software, but tracking inventory, keeping up with equipment maintenance and other duties can also be streamlined when you don't have to access multiple software programs.
Start your EMR search with BuyerZone's free request for EMR price quotes service. Multiple software providers will respond to your request, allowing you to choose the system that's the best fit for your hospital.
