Electronic medical records (EMRs) promise to revolutionize the medical industry by reducing healthcare costs, simplifying recordkeeping practices, increasing the ability to share information and eliminating errors. But according to a 2009 report by IVANS – a supplier of EDI and network services to the insurance industry – up to 80 percent of physicians have reported that a lack of available funds is the main obstacle to implementing EMRs in many facilities. The Obama administration has, however, publicly supported the adoption of electronic records, and here we’ve outlined how last year’s $787 billion stimulus package supports current efforts to computerize the nation’s hospitals and physician’s offices.

The stimulus package has allocated $45 billion to helping the healthcare industry adopt electronic medical records, and requires the government to determine which software systems will be most beneficial and why. This process, aptly described as determining “Meaningful Use,” is still unfolding, with the main point of discussion currently revolving around deciding upon the speed at which physician groups, hospitals and technology vendors would be required to convert to digital recordkeeping systems.

Under the terms of the stimulus package, physician practices could receive up to $44,000 over a five-year period, while hospitals could receive a maximum of $15.9 million, to install EMR systems that meet “Meaningful Use” requirements. In contrast, the government would ultimately impose penalties on providers who do not choose to convert to electronic medical records by 2015, beginning with reducing Medicaid and Medicare payments by 1 percent in that year (and growing to 3 percent in subsequent years).

Whether or not systems are adequately “Certified” under the new standards that have been set by the stimulus package is also an integral issue for physicians hoping to receive incentives to adopt EMR software. Previously, certification was outsourced to a commission founded by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and was largely voluntary. But despite more than three years of certification, many EMR software systems are still not set up to communicate easily with one another, which has spurred the commission to turn its focus to ensuring that the certification process serves as a way to determine who will be eligible for stimulus funds.

Although some reports claim that seven out of 10 healthcare providers think EMRs would positively affect their practices, their patients and the industry as a whole, some physicians are still left wondering where to begin. On the other hand, many others are already making investments in IT initiatives. Whichever category you (and your practice) falls into, these new technologies will alter the medical landscape of this country and affect the way healthcare professionals provide patient care in the months and years to come.

There are many reasons why the healthcare industry and patients will benefit by adopting universal electronic medical records (EMRs), but the reduction of our nation’s healthcare costs is perhaps one of the greatest potential advantages to digital recordkeeping. In fact, the Institute of Medicine has estimated that medical errors alone account for nearly $37 billion annually in preventable costs, largely due to duplicate testing and a general lack of communication between facilities.

The Obama administration has officially stated that EMRs can work to mitigate errors by allowing doctors to more efficiently coordinate care and to share information with one another accurately and instantly. Despite this – and despite the extraordinary success of EMRs that are already being used in respected, groundbreaking facilities like The Mayo Clinic – most healthcare facilities in this country have still not been equipped to share information, or to record and store data, electronically.

In addition, some experts estimate that doctors and nurses spend 40 percent of their time simply documenting patient data – essentially administrative work – that could be done much more efficiently using a centralized EMR software system. By replacing outdated data-entry tasks with new information technology solutions, medical facilities can empower employees by focusing on efficiency, thereby increasing profitability and the quality of care patients receive.

In fact, patient care is directly affected in a variety of ways by the adoption of EMRs. For example, the total number of records that are available when cross-referencing data directly affects the accuracy and implications of the information that is aggregated. In this way, anonymous but universal EMR sharing can create a data pool from which physicians and other healthcare practitioners pull and cross-reference information – including disease histories, incidents of drug interactions, and drug side effects – to name only a few.

The long-term positive effects that EMRs would have on healthcare costs, including research and development – not to mention patient care – are difficult to fathom, simply because many physicians have not yet experienced the ready access to comprehensive data that the universal adoption of EMR software provides.

Physicians who are interested in electronic medical record (EMR) software should take a close look at both desktop and handheld varieties. Both types of EMR software have many of the standard benefits of digital recordkeeping (efficiency, speed, safety, accuracy, etc.), and both have distinct advantages and limitations that are critical to understand in order to ensure seamless integration with the unique needs of your practice.

Desktop EMR software comes in a variety of formats, most notably web-based software solutions, custom-built software solutions and off the shelf, or standalone software solutions. Each type of system allows medical records to be stored, retrieved and shared electronically with record speed and accuracy.

Web-based desktop software for EMR use is often the simplest to install and use – if you have a working Internet connection, you are more than halfway there – but since data is kept on a public network, it often raises concerns about the security and privacy of medical records, so be sure your system has the ability to easily restrict access.

Custom-built desktop software solutions are exactly that – tailor made to the specific requirements of your office, giving you full control of every detail. While this option may seem to make the most sense due to the freedom it allows in controlling how the EMR software functions, custom-built options are often much more expensive than other solutions and can take much longer to develop.

Off the shelf or standalone desktop EMR software solutions are much more affordable and are often ready for immediate use upon purchase. They often use a programming language like Java and work on multiple operating systems, including Mac, Windows and even Linux. In addition, established standalone systems often come ready to go with a comprehensive feature list that was developed through actual use by physicians and other healthcare professionals, so you don’t have to brainstorm and foresee every feature you may need. Be sure to ask if the system offers Intra-office instant messaging, scheduling, patient tracking and automated data backup, as well as any other features your office will need.

In today’s medical world, however, many physicians are finding that Palms, iphones, PocketPCs and Blackberries are becoming a necessity and not just a luxury. Although these handheld devices are perhaps best known for giving easy access to email, contact information and scheduling, they also have the capacity to run a growing number of medical software systems, including but not limited to recordkeeping, image viewers, medical calculators, drug references and textbooks. Compared to desktop and laptop computers, handheld devices are also very compact and light, providing the convenience of instant access no matter where you are. They also tend to have a prolonged battery life and are much less likely to break down or malfunction.

With both desktop and handheld medical software, you should do your best to evaluate the software prior to purchase. If they have a free trial – use it! And be sure to utilize any demo materials or client referrals they offer. When it comes to EMR software, taking the time to understand the options is critical to long-term success, so don’t be afraid to ask tough questions and expect the best – both you (and your patients) deserve it!

By Kirsten E Silven

Imagine a paperless medical practice environment – All your medical records stored safely in one place and easily accessible; no losing file sheets or taking care of paperwork, not to mention the thousands of dollars you save in time and effort!

That’s what we promise to do for you with Medicalsoftware.com’s MedAppz. Electronic Medical Records Software (also known Electronic Health Records) is an electronic document containing a patient’s health details.  The software which enables the creation, updation and retrieval of EHRs allows the physician’s clinic to function pretty much like a paperless office.

With EMR, the physician has the advantage of managing patient details from a centralized console with minimum effort, increasing the productivity of the entire consultation process right from scheduling an appointment to the final report. It also means saving a lot of time and effort that is usually spent duplicating the entire process when the patient lands up for another visit. Billing and managing receivables too now become an easy task, with the exact service details being available whenever they are required. And from a patient’s point of view, no more deciphering the physician’s famously illegible handwriting!

Most EMR applications are designed with features capable of handling the various stages of the medical practice process management.  Medappz is one such application with a range of features in its integrated EMR MedAppz iSuite Software suite.  The features, developed with inputs from physicians themselves, include appointment management, recording patient information, diagnostics and prescription, billing and claim management.

Further, the Medappz suite is available as a service, where the application is hosted at a central location on the Web. Physicians can use the software without the hassles of software installation/ maintenance, expensive IT infrastructure and technical resources, simply by means of a secure login access code.  Medappz will also periodically back up your data to avoid data loss and allow future access. Thus the technical process tasks will be dealt with completely and efficiently, and the physician can spend quality time on the actual consultation.

By: Kirsten E. Silven