| Special Features Of An EMR |
|
 |
| Patient Portal
bridges the gap between patients and service providers
in a continuum of healthcare from home to hospital to
home. To access Patient Portal's integrated suite of
services... |
| read more |
|
|
|
| Barack Obama: In his Plan for a Healthy America, Obama calls for lowering costs through investment in electronic health information technology systems, acknowledging... |
| read more |
|
|
|
| ADA for exchanging data processing standards to the dental services of the health care industry... |
| read more |
|
|
| The implementation phase is possibly the most important topic in EMR SOFTWARE, unfortunately this topic is often the most overlooked and in many cases offices thoroughly review the different EMR packages but once the product is purchased they expect... |
| read more |
| |
| |
|
 |
| |
|
 |
Financial
analysis projects clear returns from Electronic
Medical Records
Demonstrating the economic benefits of an electronic
medical record is possible with the input of staff
that can identify the technology's benefits -
Statistical Data Included.
Implementing
an electronic medical record (EMR) is a
major initiative that should be undertaken only
after a thoughtful analysis of the costs and benefits
involved. Unfortunately, demonstrating financial
returns on an EMR often is regarded as an inexact
science at best, which has caused many healthcare
executives to avoid adopting this technology.
With the right approach, however, it is possible
to demonstrate convincingly that the financial
benefits will far outweigh the costs. To do this,
it is necessary to involve representatives from
operational areas throughout the organization,
because they are best able to identify the potential
for cost savings and additional revenue opportunities.
The electronic medical
record (EMR) long has been promoted as
a means to reduce costs, provide better patient
service, and dramatically improve outcomes. Despite
several decades of predictions that the EMR revolution
is coming, most healthcare organizations still
use paper charts and manual processes.
There are many good reasons why EMRs have not
proliferated. First, the vendors' offerings only
recently have begun to live up to their promises.
And as is always the case with information technology,
the temptation to hold out for newer, better,
and cheaper products is strong. The volatility
within the healthcare information technology market
also has served as strong deterrent, as potential
purchasers want assurance that their vendor will
be with them through implementation and beyond.
Perhaps the most significant roadblock to EMR
implementation is financial. Executives are loathing
committing millions of dollars to a project unless
they can be assured of positive cash flows within
a reasonable period of time. Unfortunately, demonstrating
this return can be challenging because many of
the EMR's benefits are either non-financial or
inherently difficult to quantify. Nevertheless,
it is possible to establish a sound business justification
for implementing an EMR using realistic assumptions
and verifiable data. |
Benefits-Assessment Process
The healthcare organization established a 24-member
clinical advisory team, whose duties included
conducting a cost-benefit analysis for the EMR.
This team consisted of the following people: |
 |
- Eight physicians from a broad range of medical
specialties;
- Several representatives from patient care
services;
- Directors of the radiology, laboratory,
and pharmacy departments;
- The medical records manager;
- Information services (IS) representatives;
- Managers from several clinical departments
throughout the organization; and
- Consultants.
|
After
viewing demonstrations of EMRs to learn about
their features and capabilities and visiting a
healthcare organization that had implemented an
EMR, the team identified myriad benefits they
believed the technology could help to achieve.
Working with the vendor, the team developed cost
estimates and, based on the EMR's anticipated
implementation schedule, estimated the timing
of both costs and benefits. Costs were assumed
to be incurred as the various components of the
EMR were installed, with the benefits being realized
over time as functions were converted and users
became accustomed to the technology. All of this
information then was put into a financial model
to project costs and benefits over seven years.
Costs
The IS staff worked closely with the vendor to
develop hardware, software, and implementation
cost estimates for the EMR. Based on patient-volume
data and the number of system users, the vendor
developed proposals for the various software products
and server hardware needed to meet the specified
performance criteria, as well as professional
services related to installation and training.
In addition, the IS department developed cost
estimates for desktop devices and monitors, biometric (thumbprint recognition) security
devices, imaging hardware and software, additional
technical-support staff, and other associated
costs.
Some more tips
for buying an EMR
Implementing
Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software
in your office can be one of the most beneficial
things you can do for your practice’s success.
Unfortunately, buying the wrong EMR can be disastrous.
To buy the right EMR you need to be able to see
past the smoke and mirrors. Relying solely on
your EMR vendor to make the right hardware and
implementation recommendations can be a big mistake.
Here are some tips you can use to help ensure
a successful EMR implementation.
Set
realistic goal
What
do you wish to gain out of an EMR? Many
offices purchase EMR software in hopes that it
will automatically provide them with all the benefits
that were promised to them. The right EMR software
can help you reduce your number of staff, reduce
your expenses, reduce medical errors and reduce
documentation time. To realize all these benefits
you need to set milestones and implement the right
plan.
Perform a cost-benefit
analysis
All offices work differently and have different
inefficiencies. It’s important to have realistic
expectations of what type of Return on Investment
(ROI) can be expected. It’s important to
look into these items before you begin looking
at vendors so that you have an idea of what type
of budget you will have available for your EMR
as the cost of EMR software (not including hardware,
implementation time and training) can range between
$1000 and $45,000 and there is no silver bullet.
Seek out unbiased sources
of information
Distilling fact from fiction in the medical software
industry can be difficult. Even many of the awards
that are given to the different vendors for their
products are often very biased. The Internet offers
many unbiased information sources on EMR. You
may also want to consider bringing in the expertise
of an IT Company or EMR consultant to help guide
you through the process of selecting the right
vendor.
Leveraging
hardware to improve your EMR functionality
It’s a great thing when you have technology
on your side to manage your patient's records
and become more efficient. To do this it’s
imperative to select the right hardware based
off of your office’s needs and user's experience.
Involve the right IT Company from the beginning
to ensure a successful implementation. |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|