Physician practices will realize significant changes to their clinical and dministrative processes upon utilization of electronic medical records (EMRs). The transition to EMRs will lead to further opportunities to initiate changes and manage data at the health care network level as well as on a national level.
As of 2005, only 17 percent of doctors’ office nationwide had EMRs, according to the CDC’s National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, which was conducted from 2001 to 2003.
The initiation of an electronic document management system is a huge task and will cause workflow process changes. The alteration of the workflow process may include critical workflow items as well as important safety precautions. The initial transition period from paper to EMRs can last as long as two years, and there will probably be a combination of electronic records as well as paper.
EMRs offer many time and money savings for physicians and their staff members. More patients can be seen per day because less time is spent on documentation. Many EMR programs have “short cuts” to speed the data collection process, and enable users to properly document services, which can justify the correct coding level, another way to increase efficiency. Paper-based medical offices that have converted to EMRs not only are more efficient, but they also save a lot of space by not having to maintain paper records. EMRs enable denied claims to be resubmitted to insurance carriers instantly. Transcription costs can be decreased or even eliminated by using dictation software that is usually available with EMR systems. Many EMR programs also automate accurate charge captures relevant to a particular ICD-9. Many commonly overlooked procedure and supply codes are also captured.
Many vendor solutions are available for electronic document management. Review them carefully in order to ensure that your practice purchases the right solution to ensure the best return on your financial investment. Many vendors allow their products to be tested for a period of time to make sure it’s suitable. Talk to other physician practices and see what products they recommend and why. Often, the health care network makes specific product recommendations that must be respected, and that is to ensure interoperability among all its providers.
During the transition, patient information must be secure, and patient information must be kept private. Medical record content integrity must be maintained, along with clinical workflow integrity. The continuity and quality of care must not be compromised during the transition period.
It goes without saying that access to storage media, hardware and software must be controlled at all times. Hardware that is kept in an examining room or area where patients might have access to it should be locked to prevent access. Monitors that are visible to patients should not display information about other patients, such as diagnostic or scheduling information. Every user must have his/her own identification and password. Audit logging should be enabled in order to record each and every user’s actions while logged on. An adequate security network, such as firewalls, second factor authentication and Virtual Private Networks, is vital in order to verify that only authenticated users can access patient medical records.
Today, many physicians are opting for Pocket PCs in order to speed dictation and electronic prescribing and result verification. These interface with office software to ensure that everything is automatically recorded on patients’ records.
In case of a product withdrawal by the FDA or manufacturer, physician offices that utilize EMRs can electronically find all patients currently taking that drug or who have received that type of implant, for example, and send out a letter to them, saving countless hours of searching.
In summary, EMRs are here to stay, and physician offices can realize many benefits in terms of time and money, not to mention efficiency and safety.
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