Electronic Health Records Systems (EHR)

Digital transformation of paper-based clinical documentation seen as driving better healthcare and a big win for the bottom line.
 
Paper-based patient medical records require upwards of 30 minutes each to maintain on a regular basis; their electronic record counterparts take but a fraction of that time—and in the process help to deliver better healthcare. It should then seem like a no-brainer to any medical provider that Electronic Health Records (EHR) make for a healthier healthcare system. However, the digital transformation of a legacy system is proving to be a daunting task.

Experience has shown that the key ingredient for success is closely tied to the ability of a healthcare organization to effectively manage its staff and resources through the crucial period of transition. Just buying and implementing Electronic Health Records EHR software has been shown to be only a beginning; healthcare providers frequently cite working in partnership with the EHR vendor throughout the process, and then some, as making all the difference. As one hospital administrator called his EHR vendor partnership: bedside care for the hospital.

Best-in-Class Electronic Health Records Systems (EHR) software:

• Integrates all the clinical tools necessary for an interdisciplinary approach to services delivery
• Improves staff and resource utilization
• Enables coordinated compliance with accreditation organizations like CARF and JCAHO and speedier justification of medical necessity issues.

Top Considerations before buying Electronic Health Records Systems (EHR):

Long-term relationship building, guidance, and ongoing services from EHR vendor companies to smooth transition and transformation process for medical staff and personnel from legacy paper-based system to electronic medical records.

Key Products:

1. Ingenix CareTracker electronic health records and Ingenix CareTracker practice management (PM) are Web-based healthcare management applications from Ingenix, Inc. The company provides information technology products, services, and consulting in the areas of health and productivity optimization, medication reconciliation, MS-DRG readiness, performance improvement and data analysis, revenue cycle management, care and health management, claim adjudication and reimbursement management, claims management and fraud prevention, and electronic data interchange (EDI). Said to serve more than 250,000 diverse health care clients including insurance companies, federal/state agencies, pharmaceutical and biotech firms, Fortune 500 enterprises, hospitals, and physicians within the health care community. Ingenix also provides solutions in the areas of electronic payments and statements, medical and financial management, network and credentialing, and pharmacy benefit management. The company serves insurance companies and health plans, physicians and healthcare providers, hospitals, corporations, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and federal and state agencies in the health care industry. For electronic medical billing, for example, there are Ingenix Revenue Cycle Management products, which offer control over coding, compliance, and reimbursement processes, from streamlining admissions to increasing cash flow.

2. HealthPort EHR from HealthPort is a flexible workflow with customizable options, including voice recognition, handwriting recognition, touch screen, scanned documents/images, virtual keyboard and traditional keyboard and mouse. With new federal guidelines under the HITECH program mandating every physician's investment in an Electronic Health Records System, HealthPort, since March 2010, has offered a 100% money-back guarantee that its Electronic Health Record (EHR) software, HealthPort EHR, will meet certification requirements for "Meaningful Use" as set forth in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. HealthPort serves more than 10,000 healthcare facilities and over 44,000 physicians nationwide.

3. MicroMD offers a solution in its MicroMD EMR that extends EHR from health centers, to large medical groups, and also to solo practices, and includes screening, immunization, and prevention templates, plus access to patient prescription coverage and drug formulary, reviews medication lists from other providers. MicroMD’s EMR patient routing system allows the viewing of lists of patients and their whereabouts at each stage in a patient's visit, including notifications of needed tests or procedures. A full-featured management system, MicroMD EHR offers scheduling, patient information, billing, integrated EDI solutions, advanced reporting, and mobile solutions.

4. Providing paperless charting with remote and mobile access to patient records is AdvancedMD Software’s offering AdvancedMD Web-based EHR that includes physicians' electronic prescription tools, online charge slip, and access to historical patient care information. AdvancedMD provides a combined electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM) software platform for 20,000 providers and 300 billing service providers nationwide. The company’s CCHIT Certified, interoperable, and web-based EHR software offering is a solution for creating a paperless office with such advantages as  customizable templates, mobile access and an integrated Patient Portal. AdvancedMD's Web-based EHR maintains charts electronically and consistently, manages diverse systems and data as one, engages and informs patients online, and can gain mobile access to patient data, and automated revenue capture. 
 
5. CareData Solution is a “patient-centered not doctor-centered” electronic health record solution from CareData Solutions Corporation. It offers fully interoperable decision support for patient and medical provider, receives lab reports and images electronically, automated prescription ordering, and integrates with existing systems and laboratories. CareData Solutions recently launched a new online Electronic Health Record (EHR) training course that combines web-delivered content with access to fully functional EHR software. The EHR software training course supports the requirements of the National Health Career Association's recently established Electronic Health Record Specialist Certification (CEHRS). Ms. Selene Kepila, Founder and Chair of CareData, says she was inspired to design the company's EHR/PHR solution from her experiences involving incorrect reporting and tracking of abnormal test results at a women's clinic. “Impeccable patient tracking with an advanced warning system and self-generated alerts are the backbone of our EHR system,”she says of her company's 18 years of testing and information gathering in doctor offices, clinics, and hospitals.

6. Acentec is the direct sales and support partner for software developer Medinformatix’s integrated EMR and Practice Management (PM) electronic products. With over 15 years of experience, Medinformatix EMR is a totally paper/filmless office, allowing patient medical records to be accessed at the actual point-of-care via a wireless pen pad or stationary PC and by managing all clinical, administrative and follow-up processes electronically. Medinformatix EMR offers class EMR/PM software, integrated with Dragon System's (Nuance Software) Medical Voice Recognition software, a flat rate billing service, and flat rate IT services. The workflow orientation allows providers to handle parts of a patient encounter using the tools with which they are most comfortable: templates, voice recognition, dictation, hand writing recognition, or a simple hand written note.

Electronic Health Records Systems (EHR)
Definition: Electronic Health Records Systems (EHR), also referred to as electronic patient records or computerized patient records, is a systematic collection of electronic health information stored in digital format about individual health information about individual patients or populations. The electronic health record, or EHR, can be embedded in network-connected, enterprise-wide information systems enabling it to be easily shared across different health care settings.