The Selection for the EHR System - Essay Example

Wellness Healthcare- EHR Wellness Healthcare- EHR A proficient Electronic Health Record system has functionality thatis relevant to the objectives that the organization wants to meet. From the patient information entered, the system should be able to compute the numerals. An electronic health record is an ordinal record of the print form of a patient’s medical details. The EHR houses the patients’ demographics, medical history, progress notes, diagnosis, allergies, laboratory results and immunisation dates among other relevant data. This information can be shared across other health facilities and is managed by authorized organization personnel. The modern world is evolving fast in technology innovations and the medical field is part of this evolution. The medical sector has a lot of data from the many patients that are treated on a day to day basis and it is a universal service. There is therefore need for a streamlined form of storage for its data records. The EHR system has to have the following features: simplicity, it should be natural, consistency, relay feedback, effective language use, minimise cognitive load, preserve and safeguard data. EHR Selection1 The selection for the EHR system was not done at a corporate level only, clinicians were also included in the process. Videos from various vendors were viewed by the board at Wellness Healthcare and an elimination process followed based on the product description and the board’s analysis. Those left were circulated to different departments in the organization and opinions taken down. The videos were circulated to the physicians who would be using the system. The most appropriate system was then effected. The criteria used was as follows: the system must integrate with the outpatient care, technical support offered by the vendor in installation of the system and monitoring its function ability, its customization aptitudes for Wellness Healthcare procedures and its capability to keep up with technological developments in terms of software updating. Functions2 The EHR system aids in providing better healthcare services through: provision of up-to-date information regarding patients’ medical data. Enabling quick access and retrieval of information regarding patients especially in emergency situations. Storing the data in a secure manner that reveals the information securely to the patients and the physicians. Accuracy through elimination of technical errors in recording of information, billing and streamlined coding and in so doing provide safer healthcare. Improving the provider-customer relation and convenience. Reduction of operating costs through minimisation of paper trails, improved privacy of patient information and upgraded healthcare. The structure brings about more patient involvement in their treatment. Achievements2 Wellness Healthcare as a provider is able to give the patients a full comprehensive record of their medical tests. After a patient’s visit, the organization is able to follow up on the patient’s self-care program through alerts and reminders through the internet websites. Communication between the provider and the patients through email services. This communication channel is helpful in consultation services which is essential in the preventive measures in healthcare. This is a proactive undertaking by the organization. This structure has applications like PHR (Personal Health Record) that enables the patients to access, monitor and manage their health information; parents/guardians are able to manage their children’s health matters. This application facilitates individuals to access health resources. With a PHR that is linked to Wellness Healthcare, the patients can access their records with the organization at their convenience. All the material that Wellness has is accessible to them. It is a form of a reserved healthcare centre. This automated system saves on time in the organisation thereby contributing to efficiency. There is reduction in transcription expenses, chart pull and the storage of filed papers. This automation has enabled the operators to easily issue medical alerts to patients. The system keeps a record of any information shared with physicians and other medical institutions. In writing of prescriptions for medicine the structure provides an E-prescription service. Paper prescriptions easily get misplaced but with this service, the doctors directly inform the pharmacy on the prescriptions they have made. This is a much safer procedure for patients with the improved communication channel. Clinical records and orders are computerised. The problem that patients face with insurance companies as a result of late filing is solved. Drivers of EHR Adoption1 A certified EHR improves healthcare value, reliability and brings about patient safety. The purpose of adopting this system at Wellness Healthcare was to streamline the inpatient and outpatient care procedures and to develop reliable communication channels between the providers and the patients. It was also intended to bring about accountability through the use of the advanced record keeping system. Another goal was to better the care system for patients with several medical complications that required monitoring especially for the patients who are not in a position to keep track of the treatment procedures. The main aim was to improve the quality of service provided by the organisation and integration. Hurdles1 The element of change was not received well by the staff. As much as a large fraction of the personnel supported this move, a shift from the day to day norm that they had accustomed to was not easy. This could be attributed to the ambiguous nature of the prospects that this system would bring. Moreover, the system brought about the aspect of accountability and adherence to new regulations that would guide the use of the implement. The EHR being a technological novelty required that the organisation train all the staff who would use the EHR. They had to be trained in IT and the IT sector of the corporation had to work hand in hand with the technicians putting together the facility. This remains a challenge since the systems have to be upgraded time and again. The process faced streamlining problems in the implementation due to the unfamiliarity aspect. With the urgency of realising improvement in the organisation’s operations, the management had to ensure that the facility was fully utilized. Moreover, the purchase and installation of the system was a costly undertaking that took a lot of time. Redesigning of the healthcare procedures and customisation of the system to fit with Wellness’ requirements. The launch process therefore faced delays at the departmental level. The implementation of the new changes takes place at the various organisational units simultaneously. The phase implementation style helps the technicians to identify any problems at the end of each phase but the flipside is that the process takes a longer period to actualise. The clinicians take time to adjust to the new systems and this slowed down the organisation’s operations for the period. The incorporation of EHR seemed to be detrimental to the efficiency of Wellness. Conclusion An Electronic Health Record system brings about proficiency in an organisation. The major hurdles are faced at the initial stages of its implementation but the benefits are long-term. If the personnel are trained before the introduction of the system, its actualisation would be much easier. References 1. Silow S. et al, (July 2012), Using Electronic Health Records to Improve Quality and Efficiency. 2. Benefits of Electronic Health Records, Retrieved from, http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/benefits-electronic-health-records-ehrs Read More