Electronic medical record (EMR) software systems can help to reduce clinical errors, thereby also reducing the likelihood of lawsuits, mainly by allowing medical facilities to provide timely and effective patient care. However, the use of EMRs can not only reduce or eliminate the expenditures of a facility that are inherent to tedious administrative tasks and manual filing systems, but they can also centralize medical records and provide medical professionals with universal remote access.

As a result, EMRs can significantly reduce the risk factor for doctors, hospitals and even insurance companies. Some estimates claim that close to 98,000 patients currently die each year due to preventable medical errors; a number that could be significantly reduced if medical facilities had universal access to the comprehensive medical history of each patient. This is a key factor that works to reduce the likelihood of lawsuits surrounding clinical errors.

Many proponents of EMR technology also contend that the use of digital recordkeeping systems in healthcare facilities will work to decrease malpractice insurance claims. This additional benefit is a natural product of the enhancements to patient safety that come with the implementation of EMRs. It’s simple: By reducing inefficiencies and preventing clinical errors, EMRs decrease the incidents of patient injuries and thereby reduce the number of malpractice claims that are filed.

Furthermore, the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) has announced that it will continue to advocate for lower malpractice insurance premiums for physicians and healthcare facilities that successfully implement certified EMR software systems. CCHIT has also publicly asserted that the use of electronic medical records can enhance the quality and safety of patient care by providing diagnostic and therapeutic decision support, as well as built-in clinical alerts and reminders. Finally, CCHIT has stated that physicians and healthcare facilities that use EMRs may also improve the defense of malpractice incidents that do happen to arise, as the documentation process is drastically improved in digital recordkeeping systems.

Once a medical facility has decided to implement a new electronic medical records system (EMR), it’s essential to become familiar with the various software and hardware requirements that exist. The capabilities of EMR software systems are virtually limitless, and costs increase with the number of features a system has. For this reason, smaller practices can often get by with a less complicated, and therefore less expensive, EMR software system than a larger hospital or medical facility.

In order to determine your facility’s software requirements, it is helpful to perform a cost-benefit analysis that will help you choose between various available systems. In order to avoid costly purchasing errors, it is essential to choose a system that fits your budget and your needs prior to implementation. In general, it is typically best to look for EMR software that meets every current need but can also easily be scaled to meet future requirements.

When conducting a cost-benefit analysis for EMR software, begin by having a clear understanding of what you will need the software to do. For example, systems can often produce data regarding your facilities’ staff to physician ratio, the average number of calls you receive in a given time period and the patient capacity of the center, to name only a few.

It is also important to gauge the amount of training your staff will require, and to determine whether or not that service is included with the price of the software package. Inevitably, there will be a learning curve as everyone gets used to the interface and various features of the software, and any resulting hurdles are much more easily overcome when training is provided during the implementation process.

In addition to providing the software, providers will also configure all hardware to meet the needs of your facility. In many cases, practices will find they must purchase a significant amount of new hardware in order to meet the needs of running a digital recordkeeping system. Since it is essential to provide the proper support for the infrastructure of your new system, the price of things like new server stations, printers and computers should also be figured into the cost-benefit analysis. It is also prudent to consider the longevity of new equipment, so be sure to work with a reputable dealer who will provide direction, support and maintenance if necessary.

While all of this may seem a bit overwhelming at first, healthcare facilities and physicians can ultimately save time and money by doing extra legwork on the front end of the project. EMRs are beginning to revolutionize the way we provide healthcare, so be sure to ask the right questions and consult with an EMR expert before choosing a software system for your facility.

Information technology (IT) plays an enormous role in helping medical facilities reduce errors and improve patient care – by making it possible for them to easily and efficiently adopt electronic medical record (EMR) software. Thanks to effective IT solutions, hospitals and other healthcare facilities have an easier time adopting EMR software, which allows them to benefit from the many improvements that digital recordkeeping systems have proven to bring in. The result is high-quality patient care and proper billing services.

For one thing, IT advancements have made it possible for a wide range of medical practitioners and facilities to save on the amount of money they would otherwise have to spend paying staff members to complete cumbersome manual administrative tasks. Today, EMR software allows facilities to centralize medical records digitally instead, while also giving authorized individuals universal access to important information that is stored in a standardized format.

Furthermore, IT developments in EMR software have helped to reduce the number of errors experienced by patients, insurance companies and healthcare facilities, since manual input and handling of sensitive patient data is greatly reduced. In addition, the administrative workers who are responsible for entering the data initially into the EMR software system often have more time to focus on accuracy, since other administrative tasks are eliminated entirely.

There is little doubt that IT improvements have had an immeasurable impact on EMR software by providing a safer, easier way to manage data faster, more efficiently, and more quickly than paper methods have ever allowed. EMR software also helps to prevent the threat of legal allegations and claims that can result from lost medical records in the event that a family practitioner dies or retires. No matter what the scenario, EMR software seems to help medical professionals focus more attention on patients by providing comprehensive data solutions that result in fewer errors and greater efficiency.

There has been much discussion about the impact that electronic medical records (EMRs) will have on the ability of healthcare facilities to share electronic health information. Many experts, physicians and healthcare facilities already recognize that the universal use of EMR software could revolutionize modern medicine, and there is little doubt that the quality of care patients receive would greatly improve with a national health information system.

In fact, perhaps one of the most important functions of EMRs is that they allow doctors, specialists and hospitals to easily and accurately share important patient information. Data regarding blood glucose levels, medical history, blood type and current medications – to name only a few – would be instantly available to any medical professional a patient chooses to see. Not only would this allow for his/her care to be increasingly comprehensive, but it would also provide easy access to vital information in the event of an emergency.

In addition to the benefits that EMRs provide for individual patients, the ability for healthcare professionals to exchange and view aggregated data is another huge advantage of using digital recordkeeping systems. In fact, a recent study by PricewaterhouseCoopers, titled, “Transforming Healthcare through Secondary Use of Health Data,” shows that hospitals and physician’s practices have already begun to use this data to reduce errors, improve outcomes and increase the opportunities for revenue.

Although data sharing still has a way to go before reaching its full potential, organizations like The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are working on ways to begin accepting and utilizing clinical quality data directly from the electronic medical records of hospitals. This could prove to be a real boon for medical care in the U.S., since it would allow doctors to view verifiable, comprehensive data about chronic diseases and other health issues, and would also provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of various treatments. In the years ahead, EMR software solutions will continue to become an integral part of how healthcare facilities operate, and the easy exchange of electronic health information will be a vital part of this endeavor.

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.