How Medical Records Systems Change Healthcare

The adoption of medical records systems and the embracing of mobile technologies by physicians has changed the industry forever. Unfortunately, some doctors and hospitals are still in the dark when it comes to these systems and have no idea that it can improve their daily routine and the lives of their patients.What Is An EMR?An EMR is an electronic medical record that contains all the information on a patient in the hospital or a doctor’s office. This record saves all the information that a doctor will need to make sure that their patients are healthy and being cared for correctly. Medical records systems also help to remove the clutter and accidents that occur with paper systems.Remote AccessSince the medical data is typically saved remotely in the database the EMR system is built on, the data can be searched for and extracted quicker than you could with a paper record. The documents are hard to misplace because they are not being moved from one place to another by multiple parties. Instead of looking all over the office for a file, staff members can easily type in a patient’s name and get all their information instantly. These records also have an extra security factor in that no one can pass by and grab them when the personnel are looking in the other direction.Physicians: Hesitant Because Of CostOne reason that a doctor may be hesitant to use a medical records system is due to the overall costs that come with adopting such an application. However, the recent Federal Stimulus package ensures that doctors and hospitals get rather sizable Medicare and Medicaid incentives in order to adopt EMR software. Consider the ways that an EMR system can benefit your office and you may realize that the while it doesn’t seem cheap at first, it will be worth the price over the longer term when it saves time and money.Time Is MoneyThe time saving benefits a medical records software product provides are endless. As an example, if you are on the fifth floor of the hospital trying to care for a patient only to realize that you forgot their file on another floor, you would have a problem. With an EMR system, however, simply open your laptop and the files are at your fingertips anywhere in the hospital.When Patients Get Involved, Doctors Work LessWhen mated with a well configured online patient appointment software application, a patient can easily go online, create an appointment, cancel it or change it to a more convenient time without having to check with a receptionist each time. If the doctor decides that patients can have access to their own records, a patient can also check their records to see what their latest test results are. If any information in their files are wrong, they can inform the physician to make sure all the medical history and current information is correct and up to date. If a patient has an emergency, the system may be able to allow a video conference to assess the patients concerns.Medical records systems and EMR have changed the way information is gathered and stored, and as a result it is helping the healthcare industry move safely into the future.