Making the Transition to Family Practice EMR

American consumers are demanding better and more efficient service from healthcare providers. This has led physicians across the nation to consider installing EMR software in their family practice. Using such practice management software has made creating, storing and retrieving patient documents faster and easier.



While switching to a family practice EMR seems very attractive, here are some points to consider before making the transition:



Cost

Purchasing and installing medical practice management software is an expensive proposition, requiring significant capital investment. The good news is that it pays for itself, usually within the first year itself, and offers substantial cost savings thereafter.



Going paperless translates into healthcare practitioners no longer requiring a transcriptionist or clerks for filing and coding. Also, since charts are stored electronically, it saves costs related to physical storage space.



Efficiency

While a medical practice management system does not increase a doctor’s medical knowledge or treatment skills, it definitely helps him to focus on his job. Taking care of the administrative aspect of a medical centre, family practice EMR increases efficiency and reduces stress.



For instance, in-built features remind the physician of questions to ask a patient and provide customizable, printable patient education files. Not only does the software automatically cross-check prescriptions with allergies but also prints them legibly and provides comprehensive information to both patients and pharmacists.



Safety and Security

Storing EMRs electronically means that data is protected from theft and unforeseen events like fire. Besides, good practice management software backs up data at least once a day. Also, since family practice EMRs are password-protected and allow multi-level authorized access only, patient confidentiality is adequately maintained.



Training

It is true that switching from paper-based records to electronic ones require some amount of learning and practice. The speed at which this training can be imparted largely depends on the computer literacy of doctors and staff.



However, learning practice management software is not as difficult as it seems. Usually, studying the manual, using accompanying training media and working with the software hands-on is good enough. Besides, many practices hold interactive knowledge-sharing sessions after this stage. It takes only about a month to adapt, which can be considered as a good investment.



In addition, many EHR software vendors offer training sessions both on-site and online along with 24/7 technical support. They also provide demonstrations, which are very useful at both the vendor selection and learning stages.



In conclusion, the transition to EMR software requires a substantial investment of time and money. However, current users have discovered that it is well worth the efforts as it has resulted in cost savings, increased efficiency, stress-free caregivers and satisfied patients.