Electronic Health Records Implementation - Research Paper Example

Electronic Health Records Implementation Before going to discuss the importance of implementation of Electronic Health Record (EHR) System in healthcare settings, let us get a better understanding of what EHR system actually is. Tatum states, “Electronic health records are copies of an individual’s medical history that is stored as electronic data”. According to Walker, Bieber, and Richards, EHR system improves communication of clinical data that facilitates doctors and concerned health professionals carry out their duties effectively and efficiently (3). An EHR system is one of the most important aspects of any healthcare company or organization because it helps doctors and employees manage all administrative and professional activities using the information stored in the EHR system by the authorized employees. Carter states, “EHR systems designed for physicians’ offices represent the simplest architecture consisting of three basic components: the database management system, user interface, and external interfaces” (12). An EHR system is not only used for collection of patient related data but also it is used to process, analyze, and disseminate the collected information or data in order to carry out different activities related to provision of healthcare to the patients. “The medical records can cover a wide range of aspects of the patient’s health while stored in a format that is easily transferable between health providers” (Tatum). The implementation of electronic health records (EHR) decreases patient sufferances, which often occur because of medical errors (Chimezie). Quick collection of information and provision of accurate information to the healthcare providers are two of the most significant aspects related to the EHR systems. As we know that doctors often write in illegible style, which leads to inaccurate data entry into files by a second or third party. “With EHR this problem will mostly become a thing of the past” (Artio). “Electronic health records reduce the chances for medical errors because they contain all information necessary, which in turn creates more accurate and clearer reports” (Pounders). Data security is another key aspect of EHR because the computerized data prevents unauthorized people from accessing the data. An efficient EHR system not only improves data security but also provides benefits to the health consumers. Moreover, the data is not lost in case of any hazard because it can be saved at more than one place. EHR also helps health professionals in the analysis of information by providing them with accurate and up to date information about the patients. Complete medical histories of the patients can be stored in their respective folders, which can help health professionals retrieve that data easily and quickly when needed. Quick retrieval of accurate information also helps doctors provide instant medical care to the patients, which is a considerable benefit for the health consumers. One of the main challenges in the implementation of this system in a healthcare setting is the ability of the employees to use such software. Management of the healthcare organization where such system is to be used, should first provide proper training to all concerned employees regarding use of this system and then they should go to implement it. The management should consider all technical and social issues while training the employees. The employees should be made aware of the importance of information security or privacy of the patients’ information so that they should not disclose any patient’s information to any unconcerned person. Young found that some other problems in the implementation of electronic health record system are organizational and human issues, such as, untrained medical professionals and rise in unemployment due to automated systems that need to be resolved in order to implement an electronic documentation record system in the healthcare companies (106). Although money is saved by using electronic medical records, such as, reduced cost of papers and labor, but the concerns arising due to these factors should not be ignored. The benefits and efficiency of using EHR system can be evaluated by comparing the past and present organizational performances. EHR systems definitely improve the performance of any healthcare organization by providing them with many considerable benefits, such as, documentation of patient-doctor interactions, retrieving medical histories quickly, making referrals, increased storage capacity, and customized view of relevant information. “An EHR also represents a huge potential for cost savings and decreasing workplace inefficiencies” (Gurley). Considering these advantages, a well-structured EHR system is definitely productive for any healthcare organization. Electronic health record systems come under the umbrella of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), which is a system that integrates all business information and processes, such as, manufacturing, shipping, and marketing into a single system using an integrated interface. “Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a system that integrates all of these functions into a single system, designed to serve the needs of each different department within the enterprise” (Blacharski). Implementation of ERP is the largest IT investment of a company. Therefore, companies implement such systems step by step rather than investing in the system all at once. However, once all aspects of the ERP system are implemented, the company starts enjoying a number of considerable benefits in almost all departments. “Deploying an ERP software system holds benefits for all three process streams of an organization-strategic planning, production control, and management control” (Chester). Some of the major advantages of implementing ERP systems include sharing of information between different departments of the company, automated workflow, improved business processes, improved quality of products and services, improved customer service, support to resource planning, and streamlining day-to-day management. “An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system streamlines the process involved in carrying out the day-to-day tasks of managing a business” (Chester). One of the main features of a good Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is the ability to change with the changing environment. “An ERP should be able to meet the changing business requirements and should be able to merge with emerging technologies” (Frankk). Such ERP systems are not successful which are unable to adapt to the changing business requirements, which occur due to changes in technology. ERP systems also facilitate healthcare companies in managing their business processes through providing them with efficient mechanism in the form of electronic health record system to manage information. Oz states, “Information is the lifeblood of any organization” (9). An Electronic Health Record system means management of all medical information, which is required to administer different business activities. An EHR system is a part of internal business control system that manages company’s documents, people, procedures, and information technology. Stahl found that information systems promote efficiency and optimal control of business processes (1). Today, a health services providing company can never be successful without implementation of an EHR system because such systems keep proper record of all information that is needed to run the business activities effectively. The main task of an EHR system is to ensure delivery of correct information to the intended receivers of the information. If we talk about the key tasks of EHR, we can say that an EHR system is capable of performing various tasks related to the management of information and business process using a computer system. Some of those tasks include documentation of the collected information, storing the information in appropriate locations, keeping track of the information, and assisting the concerned departments in processing of information. In healthcare institutes and companies, an efficient EHR system is concerned with facilitating concerned heath employees in obtaining and using correct information of the patients. One of the most important aspects of an EHR system is that it keeps the information up to date, which is essential for the success of any organization. Computer is the main component of an EHR system. All information related to the companies is stored in the computers. In case of healthcare companies, information about patients, such as, patient’s name, room number, diagnosed disease, treatment, registration date, date of discharge, and all other relevant information is stored in the computer systems for further processing. There are a number of factors, which make a healthcare company implement an electronic health record system. Let us discuss some of those factors in some detail in order to get a better understanding of how those factors influence the working of the healthcare companies. Quick collection of data and processing of data into required information is one of the most important jobs of an efficient EHR system. “When doctors share records electronically, your new doctor only needs to ask your name, birthdate, and possibly another piece of identifying information” (Torrey). A healthcare company’s EHR system not only stores the information from various sources in the computer system but also makes it ready for the concerned departments when needed. Quick data processing is one of the greatest uses of an EHR system. Gone are the days when companies used to organize data in the form of files. Now EHR systems are used for this purpose because they perform all tasks related to information management, which include, collection of data, editing of data, saving it in the computers, and generating reports for decision-making purposes. Timeliness is of extreme importance for a healthcare organization because it helps doctors provide quick treatment to the patients based on their medical histories. In case of emergency, the need for quick data retrieval becomes more necessary. EHR system fulfills this need of the doctors by providing them with required information in a very short time. Automated data processing not only helps the management in quick decision-making but also saves the time by automatically carrying out the data processing activities. An efficient EHR system not only makes information readily available to the physicians and other concerned people but also helps them analyze the medial records of the patients before proceeding with the best available treatment option. Next important element of an EHR system is its consistency and reliability. Only authorized employees are allowed to collect the data. The EHR system processes the data in a consistent manner. It is because if the data will be processed consistently, the users of the EHR system will not have any difficulty in using the information generated by the system. The management of any healthcare company needs to apply such mechanisms that should be able to bring necessary changes to the system when required. Data consistency acts as the foundation for an efficient EHR system. If the data will not be processed and compiled in a consistent manner, it will be very difficult for the users of the EHR system to run the business operations of any organization efficiently. Accuracy is another key element of an EHR system. It means that information provided to the users of the system should be precise and accurate in all aspects. All departments of an organization make use of reports generated by the system, so it is essential for an EHR system to generate accurate and properly checked information in the reports. Accuracy of internal controls is of extreme importance for the proper functioning of the system. Another important element of an EHR system is relevance, which means providing relevant information to the concerned departments. The EHR system provides relevant information to the concerned professionals. Irrelevant or unrelated information is of no use and it leads to time wastage and ineffective decision-making. An efficient EHR system is one that provides relevant and desired information to the users. Completeness is also one of the key elements of an EHR system, which means to provide users with complete information regarding any matter. However, completeness does not mean that the report should have a huge detail about any specific matter as it creates information overload, rather only relevant and pertinent information should be provided to the concerned departments. As we have discussed some key factors that influence the working of an EHR system, let us discuss some key benefits that such systems can bring to the healthcare companies. As mentioned earlier, success of a healthcare company without implementation of an EHR system is impossible in the today’s world. It is because there is a lot of competition between companies these days and only those companies can get competitive advantage which keep up to date information about different issues related to diagnostic methods and treatments. An EHR system provides companies with various benefits related to the information management. A health company can make use of an EHR system to ensure quick processing of data needed to provide quick treatment to the patients. Another important factor, which makes a company implement an EHR system, is the need for data consistency. It is important for a healthcare company not only to collect the information from reliable sources but also to process the collected data in a consistent manner. Data consistency is extremely important for the implementation of an effective EHR system. The users of information system do not find any difficulty in using the information if the data is processed consistently. A company needs to apply those procedures and techniques regarding data management that should be able to bring necessary changes to the business processes in accordance with the changes ion the internal and external environments. The companies use EHR systems in developing effective treatment strategies. Computers cannot make strategies without human intervention; rather they have to assist the management of any organization in developing strategies. An EHR system involves the use of computer for storing data, processing data, and generating reports for decision-making purposes. Therefore, an EHR system provides great assistance to the health professionals by providing them with accurate and complete information for developing effective treatment strategies. Today, electronic health records have become one of the most important aspects of a healthcare company or organization because it helps employees in successfully carrying out all different tasks using the information that is appropriately collected and analyzed by the EHR systems. The collected information is used in various decision-making processes by the management of any organization. An EHR system not only means collection of data, rather it is also used to process, analyze and disseminate the collected information or data in order to carry out various business operations of an organization. The information about patients is presented to concerned employees in the form of well-documented reports consisting of those activities that are needed to be executed by the management of any specific department. An EHR system differs from information system in a sense that information system is only concerned with the collection of data but an EHR system not only collects and organizes the required data but also assists the management of the organization in effectively carrying out various activities related to decision-making processes. Information retrieval on demand is a very important factor behind the implementation of an EHR system in a healthcare organization. The main purpose of implementing an EHR system in a healthcare company is to assist health professionals in carrying out different professional activities, such as, storing data into computer systems, retrieving information without any delay, and getting customized reports. Therefore, it is very important for a company to implement an EHR system in order to facilitate company’s employees in carrying out their professional activities in an appropriate manner. 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