Much of the dialogue about EHRs centers on their ability to streamline clinic operations. But that’s not their only value: The right EHR enables medical practices to improve patient outcomes.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 75% of practices credit their EHR with improving patient care. In an assessment of 23 separate studies, the National Institutes of Health concluded EHRs deliver improved care across the board.
Yet some providers treat their EHR as a clerical tool, not leveraging its full potential. When fully implemented, EHRs improve patient outcomes by:
- Enabling greater patient engagement
- Improving clinical decision-making
- Coordinating care among providers
- Improving the patient experience
- Reducing the risk of medical errors
Enabling Patient Engagement
Engaged patients experience better outcomes. An engaged patient understands their diagnosis and how their treatment plan affects it.
This understanding motivates them to make lifestyle changes, follow up with their provider, and generally take better care of themselves.
Providers can use their EHR to encourage engagement. First, the EHR provides a complete picture of the patient’s health. AI trend tracking can alert a provider when a patient is heading off track and help them correct course.
Second, modern EHRs include visual tools like graphs and charts. These visualizations help explain medical concepts beyond the average layperson’s understanding.
Third, an intelligent EHR makes appointment documentation much more efficient. The provider can give their full attention to their patient, and patients have more face time to ask questions.
Outside of their appointment, the EHR continues to keep patients engaged and on track. Automated outreach by text and email reminds them of upcoming appointments and of instructions for pre-op and post-op care.
Patient portals give patients round-the-clock access to their records and educational information. Portals also allow asynchronous communication with the care team; if a question comes up outside of office hours, a patient can ask while it’s fresh in their minds.
Improving Decision-Making
The more information a clinician has, the more accurate their diagnosis and the more effective their treatment plan. EHRs provide a patient’s entire health history, plus information about their environment, lifestyle, and habits, in a single, navigable record.
Monitoring progress makes it easier for providers to predict the outcome of a treatment plan. The EHR can track values like weight and blood pressure and present the data in easy-to-read charts.
Dr. Jody Piltz-Seymour of Valley Eye Professionals said when her practice began using Nextech’s ophthalmology-specific EHR, it became much easier to follow trends in a patient’s chart.
She can see at a glance what treatments the patient has had and how they responded, giving her the information she needs to predict how the next treatment is likely to work.
Coordinating Care
The interoperability standards that set American healthcare on its EHR journey are still among the technology’s most valuable features.
Many adults today have a primary care physician and get treatment from a whole roster of specialists. Before EHRs, for any provider to see what another had diagnosed involved a series of faxes and phone calls.
EHRs eliminate that friction. They provide every member of a patient’s care team, across practices and specialties, a complete, up-to-date picture of the patient’s health.
This coordination improves patient outcomes by eliminating the risk of conflicting treatment plans. It lets every clinician see the patient’s full history of diagnoses, medications, and test results.
The EHR also alerts providers to symptoms or conditions a patient may not think to mention. For example, an ophthalmologist can see when their patient has received a diabetes diagnosis and needs a retinopathy exam.
Improving Patient Experience
EHRs make the medical experience more convenient for patients. With each provider having access to the same record, they don’t have to undergo duplicate tests and labwork. With e-prescribing, their prescription is often ready at the pharmacy by the time they leave the clinic.
The automations in an integrated EHR-practice management system keep the patient’s clinic experience moving smoothly. From appointment scheduling to payment processing, patients experience shorter wait times and less frustration.
Perhaps most importantly, EHRs let patients build more meaningful relationships with their providers. A streamlined, intelligent EHR allows clinicians to spend less time tapping on their iPad and more time face to face with their patients.
After switching to a streamlined EHR, staff at Panacea Eye Center in Florida found documentation that used to take 30 minutes or more can be done in 10. That allows plenty of time to listen and connect with each patient, even if patient volume increases.
Reducing Errors
Medical errors are a leading cause of patient injury in the U.S. According to the National Institutes of Health, EHRs can play a significant role in reducing medical errors and improving patient outcomes.
Illegible handwriting and overlooked drug interactions can lead to patients getting the wrong medicine or wrong dose. E-prescribing makes sure the pharmacy knows exactly what a provider ordered.
With its holistic view of a patient’s health, the EHR can also spot potential conflicts. It alerts providers if they try to prescribe a drug that could trigger a contraindication.
Whether they come from handwriting or manual data entry mistakes, human documentation errors can cause confusion from the exam room to the billing department.
EHRs reduce data entry errors with digital forms and auto-completion. Reducing manual forms has improved efficiency and communication between departments at Medical Eye Specialists in Montana.
“Everything is right here at our fingertips for all of us: the doctors, front desk, insurance and billing, and more,” said Dr. Angela Watkins. “We have been able to reduce the risk of human error by not having to search for what we need.”
Better Patient Outcomes Through EHRs
EHRs help healthcare practices operate more efficiently. What’s more, they help providers deliver better outcomes for patients.
EHRs empower patients to become engaged and take an active role in managing their health outcomes.
By presenting a patient’s entire health picture, EHRs help clinicians make better decisions when developing a diagnosis and treatment plan.
By reducing and eliminating paperwork, EHRs free up providers’ time and attention to focus on building strong patient relationships.
Finally, EHRs lower the risk of medical errors by reducing manual data entry.
When choosing an EHR for your practice, your options can be overwhelming. Nextech offers an award-winning integrated technology platform specifically designed for practices in dermatology, ophthalmology, plastic surgery, orthopedics, and med spa.
To see what makes Nextech a preferred choice in your field, request a demo.
