Customization of an EHR system means designing a workflow loaded with features and templates that should fulfill all the needs and requirements of a specific physician specialty. EHR systems should be flexible enough to accommodate existing and newer needs of a medical specialty. The software application must be able to:
- Maximize the efficiency and productivity of provider
- Reduce the operational costs of providers
- Improve care coordination and streamlines processes
- Improve patient experience and satisfaction
- Reduce errors and adverse events
- Better decision support
- Improves billing and collections
- Less training and implementation time
Check this URL to get an overview of the benefits of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system.
Most of the EHR systems are developed in a way that can handle the workflow of general practice rather than a specific specialty. That is why they lack the sophistication necessary to work intuitively in specialized medical fields. A comprehensive set of templates custom-designed for a specific specialty improves efficiency and ensures the accuracy of the clinical decisions. EHR software intelligently interacts with a huge library of health information, the absence of which would increase workload when everything has to be documented from scratch. Below are the reasons convincing enough that what advantages a customizable specialty EHR system has over a generic version.
Reason 1: A preloaded specialty EHR takes less time for implementation and adoption. It is usually operational at the minimum required level from day one. It makes it easier to adopt and switch to it without delay.
Reason 2: On spot creation of specialty templates slows down productivity and increases the workload for the new user. A custom-designed specialty EHR comes with the library of required forms and templates which helps the user to focus on the quality of care rather than writing templates. Most of the EHR vendors can customize the templates according to the requirements of a medical specialty.
Reason 3: EHR vendors consult specialty physicians and experts to create a library of templates and they usually have experienced third party vendors to structure specialty data on their behalf. Proper quality assurance leaves no room for errors and omissions. Getting to work with a generalized EHR system can take up to one month and the burden of creating templates comes on the shoulder of providers. The time lag can frustrate new users when there are chances of mistakes as well. It is one of the top reasons for EHR adoption failures.
Reason 4: A specialty EHR is designed according to the workflow of that practice and work panels are adjusted according to the priorities of that specific practice. For instance, a cardiologist would require panels displaying ECG, Vitals, etc. on the front screen while chiropractic requires a high-resolution display of x-ray and MRI reports. Both specialties need different panels on their opening screens, a different set of fields and forms.
Reason 5: A general EHR system comes loaded with all types of features and functionalities whether a user needs it or not. It simply distracts the user’s attention and hampers efficient work practices. A specialty EHR is customized to show only that features and options which are required by the specialty.
Reason 6: An EHR system customized for a specialty helps improving efficiency through the precision of medical decisions. It expedites the revenue cycle to complete with a greater ratio of returns on investment.
Better outcomes with specialty-specific EHR
Specialty specific EHR applications play an important role in improving care coordination and clinical processes. Selecting the EHR system for your specialty is something more than selecting a set of functionalities and features of the software application. Specialties must make sure that the system is scalable and can adjust to their unique needs. They must look into the support that the vendor is providing. If an EHR system does not suit the unique needs of a specialty it would cause problems for the users. This is why; you must perform enough research and should not take this important decision without consulting experts on it.
Integration with the existing systems
Choosing an EHR system for your specialty must also take into consideration that it must integrate with the existing system. Specialties have various types of practice management tools, billing software, and other hardware systems. The EHR application must also be capable of integrating with the existing system but should also be capable of interfacing with third-party systems such as insurance companies, labs, radiology, and pharmacies.
Healthcare providers can explore their full potential by implementing a specialty-specific EHR system. To further explore the possibilities and to get free advice, you can contact us here. We can help your specialty evolve through the direct advice of the medical consultants serving in each specialty. The result is a fully customizable EHR system that a medical provider can productively operate from day-one at its full potential.