Optimizing Electronic Health Records to Improve Patient Care and Workflow

Optimizing Electronic Health Records to Improve Patient Care and Workflow

EHR optimization can improve patient care, enhance practice workflow and efficiency and boost physician satisfaction.

Medical Transcription Services United States

More than 95 percent of hospitals and nearly 90 percent of physicians’ practices have adopted an electronic

health

record (EHR)

system,

according

to

the

Healthcare

Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Many providers outsource medical transcription to maintain timely and accurate documentation. However, while it is universally recognized that electronic health records (EHRs) offer the opportunity to improve medical care, in reality, they often don’t live up to their potential. An electronichealthreporter.com article noted that in a 2017 survey from Health Catalyst, up to 60 percent of healthcare professionals reported their return on investment (ROI) for EHR systems as “terrible” or “poor”. According to experts, employing certain strategies can help practices optimize EHR use and enhance patient care and workflow. 

Invest in training: EHR Intelligence recently reported on a new Stanford University School of Medicine white paper which recommended medical practices invest in proper EHR training for physicians, including when making additional changes to existing systems and processes. Users should have a solid understanding on how they can apply the system successfully to improve practice efficiency and their own satisfaction. Educating nursing staff or assistants on the physicians’ preferences can help work done faster.



Be cautious with data entry and communication: Physicians are generally careful with their dictation and making notes. However, EHRs are prone to data entry errors. For instance, using the software’s shortcuts and dropdown menus can cause major errors. In 2013, the American College of Emergency Physicians reported that the switch to a new digital system led to mistakes in the ER—like wrong medication orders or missed patient information because of confusing computer displays. Such errors can cause great patient harm. Physicians should be extremely cautious about what they enter in the medical record as well as how they word instructions to nursing staff.



Prioritize EHR development tasks: The Stanford University report recommends that practices prioritize EHR development tasks to cater to physicians’ requests.

Enlisting physicians to help with the task can provide better results and reduce the time needed to implement the changes.



Build custom text: A Medical Economics article recommends that physicians standardize patient information used routinely using EHR features such as richtext formatting, chart views, reminders, online check-in, etc. Templates in SOAP

www.medicaltranscriptionservicecompany.com

918-221-7809

notes, intake forms, and lab order can be customized to suit practice specialty and size. Building custom text will save time and improve documentation. If prefab templates are used, staff should be trained on how to use them properly, and to carefully check the data they input. 

Complete notes and orders promptly: Physicians need to avoid batch work and complete notes and orders promptly. This will ensure that nothing is missed out and improve patient care.



Allow patients to maintain their EHRs: The Stanford University study recommends allowing patients to digitally maintain their EHRs. This will allow patients to provide family history, access their medical history and medications, manage relevant health information, schedule consults, promote health maintenance, and update their profile. These benefits can ultimately support patient care.



Accept electronic payments: Activating the patient portal with EHR software makes communication with patients much easier. Patients can use online messaging, safely and securely to communicate with practice staff, without having to waste precious time on the phone.



Unlock EHR data to improve ROI: Practices can gain greater returns from their EHR system by applying analytics to streamline value-based incentive programs, optimize billing and cash flow and improve population health initiatives.

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) has made EHR optimization a more demanding priority, according to a report from Impact Advisors. EHRs help providers capture information on preventive care, chronic disease management, and other aspects to meet MACRA goals. Optimizing EHRs is necessary for documenting clinical care as well as for MACRA billing purposes.

EHR optimization will help organizations get the most out of their EHRs. Medical transcription companies play a key role in helping providers achieve this goal by ensuring accurate, up-to-date, and complete information about patients in EHRs, reducing clinician burden and preventing EHR related data entry errors.

www.medicaltranscriptionservicecompany.com

918-221-7809