Benefits of the Electronic Health Record for Patients and Physicians

Benefits of the Electronic Health Record for Patients and Physicians The electronic health record offers many advantages to physicians as well as patients. EHRintegrated medical transcription services help reduce physician workload.

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The electronic health record or EHR is a computerized collection of patient information in a digital

format.

EHR

software

system

can

be used

to

quickly

verify

a

patient’s

clinical/treatment history. It helps medical professionals in effective clinical decision making.

EHR-integrated medical transcription service brings healthcare providers the flexibility to quickly enter information of a new patient into the EHR and also update existing patient information. Transcriptionists in medical transcription companies are trained to access templates that are stored in the EHR software system and enter the required information.

According to Physician Sentiment Index, 81% of physicians diagnose patients’ problems sooner with the EHR and have confirmed the importance of EHRs in accessing accurate clinical data. More than two-thirds believe EHRs can actually improve patient care. With EHRs, you can access any patient's complete health information whenever and wherever it is needed. The EHR is advantageous for patients as well as physicians and other healthcare providers.

Impact of EHR on Patient Care 

More focus on patient participation, and therefore better healthcare outcomes.

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Better care and care coordination across multiple healthcare settings.

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Better diagnostics and patient outcomes.

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Support for therapeutic decisions.

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Provides clinical alerts and reminders thereby ensuring patient safety.

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Facilitates treatment in emergency settings.

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Helps with smooth transitions between different care settings.

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Referring to the EHR helps avoid unnecessary tests.

Clinical Advantages of an Electronic Health Record The EHR helps in quick and complete documentation and provides seamless access to accurate patient data across the healthcare continuum. During an emergency situation, if the EHR has patient information recorded by a primary care provider, which indicates lifethreatening allergy medications and other health issues, the clinician in the emergency department can avoid administering those medications, even if the patient is unconscious.

Better availability of patient information can improve patient safety and support better patient outcomes. With the help of EHRs, all physicians treating the same patient can verify his/her medical record which is accurate and up-to-date. Freedom from documentation gives physicians more time to spend on patient care and there will not be any bulky physical paper records to worry about. The clinical workflow will also be more effective. There will be

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fewer medical errors and strong support for clinical decision making. Medical transcription services with easy integration to the EHR software are affordable and most physicians and hospitals utilize the same to improve efficiency. We cannot neglect implementing EHR because of its tremendous advantages for the healthcare industry.

A good EHR systematically identifies potential problems arising from the interaction of new medications with any current medications, as well as allergies recorded within the system.

The clinician is alerted if there are any potential conflicts. It also reduces point-and-click work for physicians. The EHR collects and stores health information of patients in a particular period of time and provides immediate access to information about an individual or population to authorized users. It improves the safety and quality of patient care through decision support facilitated by knowledge. In a hospital, the EHR contributes to improving productivity. It also contributes to physician as well as patient satisfaction.

Benefits of EHR for physicians 

EHR interoperability ensures that doctors, surgeons, and other medical providers can access and share updated patient information. The information stored within an EHR can include patients’ medical history, medications, allergies, immunization dates, radiology images, diagnoses, treatment plans, and laboratory results.

It also

includes health insurance and billing information, and other health-related data.

Ready access to patient information ensures more coordinated, efficient care. 

The complete, up-to-date, accurate patient information is available at the point of care.

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Providers can more effectively diagnose patients, reduce medical errors, and provide optimum care.

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The EHR improves patient-provider interaction and communication.

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Facilitates clear, complete documentation as well as streamlined coding and billing.

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Reduced paperwork.

Limitations of EHR Electronic health records (EHR) have changed the U.S healthcare industry, but there are obstacles in the way of EHR compatibility and connectivity; if the system network connection goes down, the patient data is inaccessible. Potential privacy and security issues in network EHR systems make them vulnerable to hacking. If the EHR data is not updated immediately after each patient visit, healthcare providers may have to rely on inaccurate patient data, and end up deciding on the wrong treatment protocols. www.medicaltranscriptionservicecompany.com

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Despite the limitations, the EHR has demonstrated high patient and provider satisfaction.

Further study is warranted to illuminate the effect on data privacy and to confirm these with improved patient safety and reduced healthcare system costs would be particularly welcome.

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