September 10, 2024

Today, we see what technological advancements can do in sectors like retail and finance. In retail, AI helps to improve customer journeys by providing personalized recommendations. On the other hand, in finance, mobile banking solutions empower users to make online payments and purchases.

But what comes to mind when we talk about technological advancements in healthcare? Maybe robotic surgeries or wearable healthcare devices are the first things you think of. Is that so? You are not wrong. However, there is another technological advancement that is essential for healthcare providers to deliver exceptional healthcare services to meet the needs of patients. 

Curious about what it might be? No need to guess. The simple answer is EHR solutions. The long answer? For this, you have to read this in-depth article that delves deeper into EHR, its benefits, and must-have features of EHR systems in 2024.

What is an EHR system?

Electronic health record (EHR) systems store, manage, and share comprehensive patient health records digitally. These records can be lab results, medical history, treatment plans, etc. These systems have been around for a long time and have become a major source of delivering patient-centric care.

EHR systems remove the hassle of managing paper health records, which are prone to errors, can get misplaced, and are difficult to share among multiple healthcare providers. Their importance is evident, as nearly 78% of office-based physicians and 96% of non-federal acute care hospitals have adopted certified EHR solutions.

What are the top 3 benefits of EHR systems?

EHR systems help you redefine your healthcare delivery methods. There are numerous exciting benefits of EHR that are undeniable. Here, we will talk about only the top 3 benefits of EHR systems that you get for your practice:

1. Improves Quality of Care

The core aim of any healthcare provider is to deliver exceptional services to patients and achieve positive outcomes. EHR systems do exactly that by helping providers to have quick and easy access to complete patient health records.

You might be wondering what it has to do with patient care. Trust me, it has. Let me clarify. The convenience of quickly accessing patient information allows caregivers to begin treatment without delays and make more informed decisions with all the necessary data available.

This data travels with patients anywhere they go. It allows different providers to readily access complete patient information to treat people quickly dealing with life-threatening illnesses. A report reveals that 45% of people believe that EHR systems have improved the quality of care they receive.

What’s more, the medication and allergies tracking feature of EHR allows providers to be aware of the drugs a patient is currently taking and suggest new medicines that won’t interact adversely with current ones. So, we can confidently say that EHR improves patient care.

2. Increases Operational Efficiency

Talking about the benefits of EHR systems and not mentioning the improvement in operational efficiency is nothing less than a crime. It reduces the burden on professionals and helps them serve patient needs more effectively.

Before discussing how EHR increases workflow productivity, it’s important to note that several reports suggest that these solutions have provided a positive return on investment. So, it is safe to say that it offers financial benefits too.

Coming to the point, it automates several administrative tasks, including appointment scheduling and medical billing. These tasks are tedious and time-consuming, which burns out professionals. However, EHR allows professionals to book, reschedule, and avoid medical billing errors. This way, these solutions improve operational efficiency and allow providers to focus on what they do best: Deliver Patient Care.

3. Minimizes Medication Errors

The last but not the least benefit of EHR solution is that it eliminates medical errors. We all know that manual prescriptions are error-prone and sometimes tricky to understand due to bad handwriting, which leads to medication errors that can have serious health impacts.

However, that’s not the case with EHRs. These solutions provide easy access to patients’ medical history, allergies, and current medications, which helps doctors prescribe drugs that could be harmful or conflict with existing treatments.

Not only this, but these solutions help to reduce medication errors using electronic prescriptions. According to a University of Beirut Medical Center study, EHR integration results in a 48.8% reduction in medical errors due to e-prescriptions.

6 Must-Have Features of EHR Systems

Have you made up your mind to get the benefits of an EHR system, including operations optimization, lower costs, and better patient outcomes? If so, you must look for these 6 must-have features of EHR systems:

1. Interoperability

Healthcare is one of the sectors that relies heavily on coordination among professionals. Moreover, in this world where health is delivered digitally, it is crucial that healthcare systems share data with each other to facilitate care coordination.

Healthcare providers must consider interoperability when choosing an EHR system to address their challenges. It allows you to share data not only within your healthcare practice but beyond as well. However, it is also crucial to ensure that you follow the HL7 standards that help you protect shared data from unauthorized access or breaches.

2. Appointment Scheduling

We see hundreds of thousands of organizations struggling with appointment management. Scheduling and rescheduling is an exhausting task that puts a lot of burden on professionals, and they feel burned out.

Having an appointment scheduling feature in your EHR software solution means you don’t have to spend hours on appointment management. It frees up your staff and allows them to focus on delivering high-quality care. Moreover, automated reminders help to reduce missed appointments and create more opportunities for revenue generation.

3. Patient Portal

Today, patients want to be actively involved in the treatment process. Healthcare providers must be thinking about how to keep patients engaged. EHR systems with patient engagement tools help you achieve this by giving patients control of their health. One such feature is the patient portal.

The patient portal is like a dashboard that contains complete information about a patient, including personal and medical records, a summary of last visits, etc. These portals are secure and provide patients with educational material. It helps providers to improve patient satisfaction and earn their loyalty.

4. Smooth Integration

The EHR software solution must support smooth integration with multiple other healthcare systems like telemedicine or medical billing solutions. It enhances the functionality of EHRs and empowers providers to deliver high-quality services to achieve desirable outcomes.

The integration with telemedicine solutions powers healthcare providers to extend their services to underserved areas and make healthcare accessible to 4.5 billion people with limited access to medical services. The integration of medical billing software allows healthcare providers to reduce the burden on their teams and lets them focus on delivering quality patient care. Moreover, it helps with faster reimbursements and improves the revenue cycle.

5. E-Prescriptions

The electronic health records system must have an e-prescription feature. It allows healthcare providers to manage and send prescriptions directly to the pharmacy of the patient’s choice. If you think that’s the only benefit of the e-prescription feature, then you need to rethink. 

E-prescriptions minimize errors that come with manual prescriptions and result in a loss of $42 billion annually globally. Moreover, it is convenient for patients as they can request prescriptions online and can pick up their medication quickly.

6. Advanced Reporting & Analytics

With the best EHR system, healthcare professionals don’t have to worry about generating reports about finances and clinical aspects. The EHR system does it for them. 

These analytics and reporting tools are crucial as they offer real-time insights and help providers make well-informed decisions. Moreover, it is not wrong to say that an effective reporting tool includes templates that significantly automate much of the reporting process.

How to select the right EHR solution for your practice?

Choosing an EHR software solution is not an easy task. It requires you to pay keen attention to the following factors to make things easier for yourself.

1. Evaluate Healthcare IT Vendor

The first thing that you must consider is choosing a reliable AI healthcare development company. You can check their case studies to understand what solutions they have provided and whether they meet your requirements or not. 

You can also directly contact them for a free consultation and learn how they can help you address your challenges. Another thing that you must keep an eye on is their ability to keep themselves updated with the changing regulations of the healthcare industry.

2. User Experience

The thing that you should never compromise on after security is user experience. While a good user experience can play a vital role in the success of the solution, a bad experience can result in failure.

We recommend that you keep in mind the ease and simplicity of navigation when choosing the EHR solution for your healthcare practice. The tool should be simple to use and navigate to prevent any difficulties for the staff. The right electronic health record system can boost the efficiency and productivity of a medical practice.

3. HIPAA-Compliant Software

As we already mentioned above, security matters the most. You must check whether the EHR software solution complies with HIPAA regulations. It helps you earn patient trust by protecting their sensitive health information. 

These solutions not only help you protect patient data but also help you avoid heavy penalties and even imprisonment. So, it is crucial for organizations like yours to opt for a certified EHR system that not only enhances efficiency but defends your organizational reputation.

4. Interoperability

Surely, you don’t want to miss the benefits of interoperability. Do you? Interoperability is one of the things that you must not overlook. It enables the sharing of data between multiple healthcare systems.

These solutions automate various administrative tasks like data entering, as providers can share data with each other with ease. You must ensure that these solutions allow for the smooth and easy sharing of patient health records to promote coordinated care.

5. Affordable

You don’t really need a solution that breaks your bank. You must keep an eye on the budget and look for solutions that meet your expectations while keeping your expenses in check. You can choose a cloud-based solution to avoid initial costs for hardware solutions.

You can also get in touch with a top-tier vendor and discuss your needs to get a complete picture of the EHR development costs. Reliable third-party companies don’t hide costs and give you a clear idea of what you should allocate for EHR integration.

What is the difference between EHR and EMR systems?

Most people use EHR and EMR solutions interchangeably. No doubt, they almost serve the same purpose, but they are not the same. Both are used to store patient health data electronically and remove paper records. However, they have some differences that we’re going to discuss:

Here, it is crucial to understand that both EMRs and EHRs have their own benefits. If someone insists one is better while the other isn’t, they’re misleading you. The choice between these health information systems depends on your specific needs.

How Xeven Solutions Help You With EHR Solutions

Xeven Solutions is a leading provider of HIPAA-compliant and secure EHR software solutions. Our well-versed team has helped hundreds of organizations achieve operational efficiency and maximize returns on their healthcare investments with all essential features of EHR systems. Get in touch now and learn how Xeven Solution can help you achieve your objectives while redefining how you deliver quality care.

About the Author: Taimoor Asghar

Taimoor Asghar is a Technical Content Writer with a passion for emerging technologies, continuously keeping himself updated with the latest industry and technological trends. He ensures that complex concepts are translated into informative pieces, catering to both experts and novices. He crafts engaging narratives through blogs, articles, and how-to guides that captivate audiences and inspire them to delve deeper into the ever-evolving world of tech innovation.