Understanding cloud-based Electronic Health Records (EHR)
Electronic Health Records refer to a collection of medical records that are securely stored electronically. They contain all relevant medical history about an individual since birth, including diagnoses, past treatments, surgeries, allergies, and medication. Maintaining complete and accurate patient records is an integral aspect of working as a psychiatrist. Often, psychiatrists will consult patient forms to ensure that they treat their patients in the most appropriate manner possible. EHR systems offer psychiatrists an efficient method of organizing patient records and minimizing the number of errors they contain. Each year, the EHR market grows exponentially and is expected to reach $37.13 billion by 2025, compared to its value of $24.82 billion in 2018. Cloud-based EHRs refer to a storage method that utilizes cloud technology. This type of software can reliably store and transmit patient records while simultaneously guaranteeing patient privacy. The importance of maintaining accurate medical records of patients cannot be overstated, and psychiatrists can significantly benefit from implementing cloud-based EHR systems into their businesses.
How can psychiatrists use cloud-based EHR to improve patient care?
Improving patient care should always be a top priority of every psychiatry practice. Implementing cloud-based EHR systems will be highly advantageous for patients, mainly if they include the following features:
- Patient portal: Patient portals are often integrated into EHR software. Patients are provided with direct access to their medical data, as well as appointment and invoice information. It is important to remember that patients always have a right to their medical information, so a system that accommodates easy accessibility is vital. Within a patient portal, clients can request prescription renewals, referrals or contact their psychiatrist directly, allowing them to have a more active role in managing their healthcare.
- Manage clinical notes: Clinical notes play a significant role in the day-to-day operations of a psychiatry practice. EHR software allows psychiatrists to streamline writing clinical letters with formatting templates, like SOAP, BIRP, and DAP. Writing your clinical notes electronically also reduces the number of errors in your documentation and guarantees legibility, an often overlooked aspect of producing good notes.
- Continuity of care: Managing continuity of care when a patient is transferred between departments, facilities, or even discharged from a clinic is crucial in many psychiatry practices. Real-time EHR systems guarantee that all of the information required for a patient to receive quality continuity of care is available to all involved practitioners. With EHR, you can help ensure that transfers won’t harm the treatment of your patients.
- Informed decisions: Ideally, an EHR will contain all relevant medical information about a patient since their birth. This allows for seamless communication between other healthcare providers and ensures that your treatment decisions are fully informed.
- Streamline services: Specific services that don’t require a separate appointment can be streamlined through EHR software. Medications can be prescribed electronically, and patients can request to have their prescriptions renewed, saving both you and your client time and resources.
- Telehealth features: Many EHR systems are integrated with various other telehealth features, including secure video conferencing. Using telehealth to deliver your services will guarantee that patients access quality healthcare, eliminating specific accessibility barriers. Particularly in the current climate of COVID-19, utilizing video conferencing will improve patient care.
- Medication mistakes: Making an error in prescribing medication can impact any psychiatrist, regardless of their years of experience. Implementing EHRs can significantly reduce the likelihood of medication mistakes, as the systems are designed to scan existing data when new information is uploaded. If the system recognizes a potential barrier, for example, an allergy that the psychiatrist missed, it will automatically alert you to ensure you are making informed and safe decisions.
Key benefits of cloud-based EHR for psychiatrists
Cloud-based EHR is advantageous for psychiatrists as well as for their patients. Some of the key benefits that arise out of implementing EHR software into your psychiatry practice include:
- Reduced costs: All businesses, including healthcare practices, look to reduce costs while delivering high-quality services effectively. In-house EHR systems require hardware installation within your practice, and the setup fees can cost upwards of $40,000. In comparison, cloud-based EHRs require no installation fees and instead cost your company a monthly subscription price that can be as low as $100 pp/month. Similarly, a cloud-based EHR system does not require your practice to have its team of IT staff, as the provider you use manages the software externally.
- Accessibility: Cloud-based EHR systems can be accessed by anyone 24/7. This is beneficial for physicians who are out of the office and want to review a patient’s records. Further, it means that patients can always access their records, a critical feature of any EHR system.
- Protection: Data protection and security is one of the biggest concerns for implementing EHR software. Experts suggest that cloud-based EHR offers more excellent privacy features than in-house EHR, with high-level encryption and sophisticated security measures.
- Data sharing: One of the most critical functions of EHR relates to sharing data across other healthcare providers. Many in-service EHR systems have limited capabilities for data sharing, a barrier that can be overcome by implementing cloud-based EHR.
- Simplicity: Most cloud-based EHRs are simpler to install and navigate than other systems. Clarity is vital if you want your employees and patients to be frequently utilizing EHR. Choosing a cloud-based option will also make the transition significantly smoother for your staff, as they are typically straightforward to navigate.
Choosing the right EHR software for your psychiatry practice
Once you have decided to move to cloud-based EHR, you will have to select a system that works for your business. When making this choice, you should be considering data security, storage capacity, client access, and HIPAA compliance. Taking all of these factors into consideration, we recommend Carepatron. Ideal software for private practices, Carepatron offers a HIPAA-compliant platform that integrates various features designed to maximize patient care. With Carepatron, your psychiatry practice can streamline its clinical documentation, medical billing, and appointment scheduling processes, guaranteeing your day-to-day operations run smoothly.
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