Technology has become more important in this modern era, especially in the healthcare department where it is of significance to treat the patients more effectively and to improve employee productivity.
Further, technology has led to the EHR software development, which is a new system that has its fair share of perks and downsides. If you are looking to know about the ups and downs of this system to better decide if it will suit your needs the best or not, read this blog till the end as we will be talking about the same in today’s segment.
Here, we have mentioned the pros and cons of keeping electronic health records that may help you with the overall growth of the system in terms of efficiency.
Pros of Electronic Health Records
Financial opportunities
One of the major perks of EHR records is that your organization will need to use computerized patient records along with a certified EHR. This is mandatory to show meaningful use to obtain the financial incentives that are offered by Medicare and Medicaid. The use of EHR is promoted by the government to increase efficiency due to which it promotes the use of this software accordingly.
The government also offers additional financial incentives only if the medical professionals are using an EHR to document their consent with value-based care initiatives that include data to support the patient-centered medical home, more commonly known as the PCHM model.
Templates are time-saving
Templates that have been designed already are one of the best examples of the major advantages of electronic health records. Irrespective of whether the template is being used for general practice encounters with patients or for use in a specialty, this will always make sure that correct information about patients gets entered by the staff members before they close the updated record. For instance, there will be a huge difference in the data uploaded by the staff members for a patient who is visiting the OB/GYN and for an oncology appointment.
The patient portal improves access
If you are keen on saving time and energy, the best possible way to do so is by activating the patient portal in your EHR system. This will also lead to a boost in patient engagement. This allows the patient to enter their information with a computer at home or at a kiosk available in the waiting room which in turn, frees them from entering unnecessary details on multiple stacks of paper forms for no reason. This also goes for the staff members as they will no longer need to waste time in entering this information either.
This patient portal has turned out to become a life-saver especially with the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 infections around the whole nation. According to reports, the centers for disease control have reported that telehealth modalities for storing and forwarding secure messages, images, and data are working very well with patient portals. This is of particular importance as people feel encouraged to practice social distancing. This way, patients do not have to come into the office to fill forms first, which can cut downtime on exposure to others in the waiting area.
Cons of electronic health records
Now that we know about the pros of electronic health records, similar to every other thing, this system is also not flawless either which is why we will be taking a look at the cons of this EHR system.
Criminal hackers
One of the major downsides of using an EHR is that your IT department will need to take extreme measures to protect sensitive data from criminal hackers. For instance, protection against ransomware attacks.
Developers fail to provide updates on time
This is another major con of using EHR is if it comes from a developer that has not updated it regularly for some time now. You need to keep an eye on their record as this is a warning sign that they may not be invested in the future of their software.
Unable to catch up with software industry best practices
Another worst-case scenario is if the developer no longer can upgrade their EHR according to the industry best practices and regulations made by the government. This is why you should go with a software provider that has a proven track record along with many years in the industry under his or her belt. You can take help from your colleagues and even read reviews to know more about others’ experiences along with whether or not they recommend it.
These are some of the major pros and cons that one can consider before referring this system to someone or for using it for his or her own needs.
