Three Ways to Configure Electronic Health Records Systems

In the past, we used to store patients’ demographic information and histories on paper. Thus, medical record management and sharing were once very problematic for healthcare facilities. Also, it was not easy to handle the bulk when facilities had limited rooms for storage. Healthcare providers can’t even reach the patient’s old data as quickly as they had to. Anyhow, we have electronic health records systems today in healthcare systems for bridging the pursuance of high-quality care and technological advancement.

The Ultimate Motto of Introducing EHR systems in healthcare is to;

• Increase the facility’s work performance and efficiency as a whole
• Improve the workflow by streamlining different processes
• Give quick access to medical records to patients and providers

There are other motives as well but the three mentioned above are the key motives. Every advancement in electronic health records systems fulfills these goals. People often confuse EHR maintenance with EMR (Electronic Medical Record). Anyhow, both of them come in contiguity. EHR is a slightly modified software system of medical record keeping in healthcare.

Currently, we have different varieties of electronic health record systems. A facility chooses among them depending upon their needs. Facilities choose the EHR software that best fits them and does the required job more efficiently.

In this article, we will have a comprehensive overview of EHR software and all its types blow by blow. Continue reading if you are still in search of a convenient EHR system for streamlining healthcare work activities.

Electronic Health Records Systems | The Digital Version of Paper Charts 

We are living in an age of technology. Today telemedicine has replaced physical appointments by physicians for providing care coverage to distant areas. Likewise, the medical record management system has also covered another milestone. It has shown a transformation from ordinary paper files to digitalized soft copies. Everything about a patient is now approachable for both, patients and doctors in no time. With EHR software, not only we can get an expanded view of a patient’s health but also the most up-to-date one.

In general, we can say;

The EHR system is all-encompassing computer software. It is a safe and reliable means of retrieving patient data in and outside the facility. The software took aid from its in-built tools to streamline medical decision-making.

Types of EHR Systems for Medical Record Management

We are familiar with the widespread use of electronic health records systems. They provide extensive benefits in healthcare. Thereby, it is always crucial to find the best one for your facility. One must be aware of all types of EHR software before selecting one among them. However, the typical method for differentiating between types of EHR systems before configuring any is to consider;

• Where the data storage servers are situated
• Who owns the data

We have the following types of electronic health records systems:

1. Cloud-Based Systems

This type of electronic health records system helps healthcare facilities to keep pace in this era of technology. Cloud-based systems are the right choice as they are relatively easy to handle. It stores data on the cloud for medical records management. All you need is to have online access to log in to the vender’s website.

This implies that no hardware and software you have to buy. You have to install nothing on your server. Moreover, these systems facilitate the patients as well. They get online excess to their medical billing reports or histories with great ease. This is another fact that the data available to patients is in read-only format. They can never make changes in data.

However, physicians have complete access until they have stable internet connectivity. By this approach, facilities can also save the costs given to IT professionals. Physicians can utilize the cloud-based EHR for relatively cheap service charges via subscription.

2. Physician-Hosted Systems

This type permits medical record management either by the physician’s server or the organization’s server. It is the traditional EHR model for which physicians/organizations have to buy its hardware and software.

However, we have a major drawback of the physician-hosted systems. They usually have downtime when you cannot work on the server. For example, you have to shut down the server at the moment when installing any updates and patches.

When we analyze the cost constraints before configuring this system we concluded. As being very costly, this EHR system is suitable for large healthcare facilities. Such organizations typically have revenue more than overhead pricing for EHR purchasing and maintenance.

3. Remotely-Hosted Systems

This server type enables data storage and maintenance on a third-party server. It means facilities hire a third-party server for their record management. In the same manner, it eliminates the cost of purchasing software and hardware. A physician can reach the required date online anytime.

Remotely-hosted EHR systems are much more advanced than traditional systems. It is further subdivided into three more categories;

• Subsidized EHR System

Doctors establish a partnership with a third-party organization. This third party (say any hospital) pays for the EHR server. The physician loses control of the medical data in this arrangement. With time, this subsequently results in ownership problems.

• Dedicated EHR System

In such systems, the doctor and the vendor make a deal for the doctor to maintain the EHR in a certain place. Despite not having any control over the data, the doctor is aware of where it is maintained.

• Cloud EHR System

As mentioned earlier, this system is popular for storing data on the cloud. This enables 24/7 data accessibility to patients and providers. Clinics can pay for this model every month or yearly.

Conclusion

Healthcare landscapes cover the electronic health records systems as an inherent part of healthcare. It has gained the center of attention due to the protection it is providing in medical records management. The arrival of EHR software in healthcare has directed physicians for improving the quality of patient care. However, it is very necessary to choose an EHR system wisely for your organization. You can choose any aforementioned system for your practice depending on your resources.