5 WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM EHR OUTBREAK

Out-dated EHR bringing your practice down? Or maybe just thinking of switching your practice management software? Look no further. Brining you a basic, 5-step guide to buying the right EHR, this info-graphic is bound to help you choose better and shop smarter. Remember, 59% more buyers are replacing existing EHR Software this year and you most definitely can’t afford staying behind in the race. Analyze, research, consult and go for it! Get the EHR your practice deserves and spend time managing your patients, and not the software. Happy shopping this year! Read more

Does an iPad EHR actually save time?

The implementation of Electronic Health Records in the US was a golden step forward in the healthcare industry. Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers were able to document their data more effectively and consequently reduce the number of errors made in patient charts and claims. According to a survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics in 2011, nearly 55% of physicians had adopted EHR systems for their practices. Almost 74% of the physicians surveyed admitted that EHRs had improved the efficiency of their medical practices.

However, ever since the CMS brought forward its regulations regarding detailed documentation and penalties for documentation and billing errors, entering patient data on a desktop screen became a huge hassle. Many physicians and nurses now spend more time on patient documentation than on the patient himself. Another problem faced by healthcare providers is that they have to record patient data and situations from time to time, and on paper because let’s admit it; they can’t carry a desktop computer with them everywhere. Hence a lot of precious patient time is consumed on double documentation; first on paper and then on the desktop EHR.

EHR vendors and healthIT experts came up with an alternative solution for these problems; simply integrate EHRs with other portable technology gadgets. The most selling EHR among these portable devices is the iPad EHR, because it both easy to use and does not require physicians to stay seated on their desks to document patient data. Here are some interesting features of iPad EHRs that Help Reduce the Documentation Time:
1. Charting on the go
Unlike computers, iPad’s don’t confine physicians to their desks in order to record patient data. Nor are nurses required to carry around heavy paper files and records to document the patient’s vitals and other treatment conditions. Physicians and clinical staff can now enter and store patient information on their iPads; and all while looking at the patient.

2. Simplified documentationDocumentation had always been a time consuming task for providers. The iPad EHR is a more simplified version of desktop EHR. According to a survey, documentation and charting time reductions of 23% were reported by physicians who had shifted to the iPad EHR.

3. Lab Ordering and Prescribing
Another recent advanced feature available in some iPad EHRs is the ease of Lab ordering and medicine prescribing. Physicians can now select a pharmacy or lab in their desired location and send lab orders or prescriptions without leaving their offices. They can also receive lab results on their iPad, which are then shared with the patient.


The iPad EHR has become the new trend that is Reshaping Medical Practice Workflows in the healthIT industry. Kelly Rakowski, managing director health provider practice at Accenture, stated that she has seen physicians enhance productivity by using iPad EHRs because of the ease with which they facilitate information sharing. The results of another survey of iPad EHR users concluded that iPad EHRs increase operational efficiency of medical practices by 30% and improve quality of care by 16%. These analytics prove that iPad EHRs are the perfect alternative solution for modern medical practices that are facing productivity loss because of reduced patient care time.

read more about: Top Rated iPad EHR – MU Certified iPad EHR                                    

What To Look For In a Cardiology EMR

One of the specialties that have benefited the most from Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) and Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is cardiology. This is because many customizable specialty-specific EMRs for cardiologists contain features that help transform the clinical operations of their practice.

General features: Moreover, integration with Practice Management (PM) systems for billing, an integrated patient portal module to engage existing patients, and bi-direction interface with labs allow for better coordination and more efficiency.

When looking for an Cardiology EMR, ensure that the system contains these general features to begin with. Additionally, here are the cardiology-specific features that your system must have:

Clinical documentation tools: The provision for custom reports in addition to a large number of cardiology-specific procedure and exam reports must be present in your system. CAD, Chest Pain, Angina and CHF are some examples of such reports that you will be utilizing on a day-to-day basis. Such provisions for clinical documentation will save you a lot of time and effort as you’ll simply need to fill in readily available procedure specific reports, and the chances of errors and missed entries will exponentially decrease.

Cardiology planning capability: Your system must also contain single-click diagnosis specific order sets to immediately begin procedure planning and for ordering labs. Confirm with your EHR Vendor if they will be automatically attached to the provider notes; as this will avoid duplicitous entries.   

Integrated EKG system: Another vital feature that any EMR must contain in today’s advanced health IT industry is that of an integrated EKG module. Such a module will help digitize EKG attributes, information and results directly onto the system creating a comprehensive patient record which includes all the stats, data and reports the clinical process requires.   

Patient education module: And finally, in addition to engaging the patients, a Patient Portal can be used as an educational tool. Heart patients are more likely to view educational documentation related to tests, treatment plans and procedures for their care; thus such a medium could help deliver better care.

Selecting the ideal cardiology EMR for our practice can be a strenuous process, but following these guidelines will surely simplify this process for you. 

Must Read: BREAKING: CMS issues draft Stage 3 rules for EHR incentive program

Remain competitive in the EMR market for more customers

Currently, healthcare IT is perhaps the most happening industry in the United States. The industry is going through complete transformation with the help of regulatory laws, innovative technology and becoming customer-centric.

The basic idea behind these changes is to manage health of Americans in a proactive manner, besides provide cost-effective and quality care to patients.

The major agent of change has been the technology, Electronic Medical Record (EMR) that manages large to small healthcare facilities in workflow management and making electronic records. EMRs have become a necessity for every physician, working in a hospital or running a practice, in order to meet Meaningful Use requirements.

This has resulted in mushroom growth of EMR vendors in last decade, which has made the market competitive. In order to survive this competition, vendors should bring these changes:

Cloud-based EMR

A web-based EMR can give an EMR Company a huge competitive edge, particularly among those that cater to small to medium size medical practices. These practices neither have space, not enough financial resources to maintain a server-based EMR.

Having a cloud-based EMR will allow the providers to bring their practice up-to-date with healthcare IT without having to spend extra money. If it’s a solo provider or small practice, they don’t have to move into a spacious office to set-up a server room for the technology.

Similarly, they wouldn’t have to hire one or a team of IT professional to look after the server. All they need is a computer and good internet connection to start working.

More importantly, Cloud-based EMR is relatively more protected than a server. EMR Vendors are equally responsible for HIPAA compliance when it comes to data protection and privacy. Moreover, physicians can access patient data out of office.

Make your EMR available on different platform and gadgets

Android, Apple, Windows, Blackberry – try to utilize every platform available to reach out to more customers that is physicians. With developments in healthcare IT, vendors are gradually turning to make their product more gadget-friendly.

Be it smart phone, laptop, iPad, notebook or any other gadget, physicians are using them and they would like to have software that functions as smoothly on a computer as on other gadgets.  

So, don’t be left out in this competition and develop EMR software that can attract more customers in the market. Also before creating an EMR read the EHR Software Reviews and know what the customers are asking for and what are their requirements for different EMRs.

Read more: Avoid EHR Switching Mistakes To Save Your Practice From Unnecessary Costs