The world has witnessed a growing number in usage of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) in recent years, and rightfully so. Every standard clinic requires a sustainable, secure patient record-keeping system. EMRs fulfill exactly that – picture a paper charting system that’s entirely digitized. They’re essential to organizing all aspects of patients’ medical histories. This list includes diagnoses, medications, allergies, lab results, and more. Moreover, EMRs help significantly in facilitating communication and collaboration amongst team members. All of these factors serve to emphasize the importance of ensuring your EMR is equipped to meet all of your clinic’s needs. To help you in streamlining this process, we’ve compiled a list of 6 must-have features for your next EMR!
1. HIGH SECURITY
Your EMR will contain highly sensitive and confidential information about your patients. For the most part, most EMRs have basic encryption and firewalls, keeping them safe from most ardent attackers. However, according to industry consulting firm Accenture, 1 in 13 patients are at risk for having their data compromised. Therefore it is vital your EMR goes the extra mile. Verify with your vendor that your EMR contains further built-in, strong security features to protect patient privacy and prevent data breaches. Lastly, ensure your vendor is keeping their application up to date against malware and viruses and you’re set to go!
2. AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM
An integrated system plays a pivotal role in improving patient-care and lowering costs for your clinic. This mechanism will allow you to hold a variety of capabilities. This includes streamlining tedious operations, including electronic communication between medical staff and patients, applying administrative support, and record data tracking. The right EMR will allow you to securely share charts and communicate directly without worrying about private identifying information from your patients.
3. SOLID AND FLEXIBLE PRICING
An excellent EMR will be a solid bang for your buck. There are several solid EMRs on the market, where prices vary but generally adhere to similar ballparks. Due to a ton of stackable, customizable features, many firms offer flexible pricing options for your clinic. Most firms adopt a freemium-based pricing strategy, with features being divided into different (typically three) tiers at a competitive price. Moreover, most firms even offer to book a free consultation in order to tailor the right price model for you. Bottom line is, ensure your vendor is offering you a fair, appropriate price model – your clinic deserves it!
4. CLOUD
EMRs with cloud-based services are a game-changer and an absolute must have for your clinic. Cloud ensures your EMR can provide web access to data, avoiding the need to store information on client devices. Coupled with secure charting, Cloud promises you the ability to work from any device, any time, anywhere! The service can be perceived as a network of remote internet servers with the intent of storing and maintaining information. The traditional method of using local servers or physical documentation systems is far more inferior to this invention. In sum: the main benefit of cloud computing for clinics is consistent, reliable access to network backups. This effectively saves clinics from data loss that will otherwise occur due to local hardware failure – making cloud an absolute must have feature for your EMR.
5. CUSTOMIZABLE FEATURES
With modern EMRs, customizable features are an absolute essential. Most especially, adding your own templates is a must-have! Double check to confirm your vendor holds a variety of templates to find one that best fits your clinic’s specialty. You also want to affirm making changes to these templates are simple and flexible. Running a clinic is no easy feat, and you want to ensure this is a no-fuss process. Bonus marks if your EMR allows you to create your own, allowing you to stick with the same templates you’re currently using for the sake of simplicity. The key takeaway here is to make sure your EMR is compatible with your practice workflow.
6. HIGH VENDOR SATISFACTION
Lastly, ensure your vendor has your clinic’s best interests at heart. Ask yourself if the success of your practice your vendor’s highest priority? Is your EMR a true cloud-based solution? Is it equipped with a full set of tools for communication, patient engagement, and collaboration? Moreover, is your vendor committed to assisting you in navigating your clinic in an ever-changing health-care environment? If all these criteria are met, you’ve found yourself an EMR best suited for your clinic’s needs! So next time you go on EMR hunting – absolutely confirm these six must-have features are present.
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