Electronic medical records (EMR) promise to transform how we will handle the many challenges of medical care in the new millennium. Medical experts from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds already agree that digitizing patients’ medical records can help to improve – and bring down the cost of – medical care, so now it’s simply a matter of making it happen! Here are some of the benefits of using electronic medical records.

Efficiency

Some large medical groups, consisting of hundreds – even thousands – of physicians, already use digital records. These have proven to better manage care for patients, especially those with the most costly chronic ailments. Doctors who use EMR can retrieve a patient’s entire medical history in mere seconds, eliminating the need to sift through a disintegrating paper file in order to determine past cholesterol, blood pressure or blood glucose levels. EMR software can also quickly and easily give detailed information about a patient’s allergies, past medical procedures and the current medication they are taking, to name only a few. In this way, comprehensive EMR systems can drastically improve physician efficiency and, consequently, the level of patient care.

Safety

Digital recordkeeping also happens to be one of the safest ways to preserve vital (and often sensitive) personal medical information. Unlike the fixed paper format so many doctors have used in the past, EMR are virtually indestructible as long as proper backup procedures and the latest anti-virus protection are employed. In addition, EMR software can alert physicians via email, phone or pager if the electronic data generated by the systems monitoring a patient suddenly transmits a need for immediate medical attention. Thus, EMR software not only protects and preserves a patient’s privacy, but it adds significantly to the level of immediate care each patient receives.

Cost

Luckily, the government sees the need to improve recordkeeping in medical offices and realizes that electronic medical records are the best way to do it. New financial incentives have been introduced via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to aid doctors in shouldering the cost. The Federal stimulus package contains $19 billion to help increase the use of EMR in doctors’ offices. The funds are available through Medicare and Medicaid, which have separate criteria and requirements that must be met in order to receive assistance.

When it comes to EMR, the good news is that the necessary technology itself is already widely available, so now it’s simply a matter of getting the entire medical community on board! One thing is for sure – there’s no doubt that EMR will bring unprecedented data about the medical history of patients directly to doctors’ fingertips.

Like many previous groundbreaking technologies, EMR are truly revolutionizing the healthcare industry and changing the way it handles the medical history of patients.

Out of all of the different kinds of medical software available, the kind that is most useful to many physicians on a daily basis is practice management software. While some programs are designed to facilitate surgical procedures or help doctors make more accurate diagnoses, practice management programs deal with organizing the ins and outs of the daily occurrences in a medical office. It’s no exaggeration to say that the majority of doctors consider these programs an indispensable tool when it comes to keeping their practice management activities fast and hassle-free.

While there are many different kinds of practice management software, they tend to share several common features. Here are a few key benefits offered by these kinds of programs:

• Patient Management Capabilities. Instead of dealing with paper charts and files, which can be easy to lose or damage – not to mention the huge amounts of space they take up in an office – many doctors are turning to these programs as a way to catalog and file patient data and other essential information. From name, billing address and insurance provider to medical history, current prescriptions and surgical reports, patient management systems are an important part of these programs.
• Billing. Again, many practice management systems offer an easier way to create and print bills for medical services rendered, and a faster method of checking whether or not a patient has paid his or her bill. Billing is often one of the most time-consuming aspects of the medical care process, and these programs will increase a physician’s ability to receive payment in a timely fashion.
• Finances and Accounting. Monitor how much money is going into and out of your office each month. This feature can help you determine how to make your practice as cost-effective as possible – an important consideration in this challenging economy.
• Scheduling. Set up appointment with ease, months in advance, for your convenience and the convenience of your patients.