Without a doubt, the advent of EHR has revolutionized the practice of medicine in the 21st century. Introduction of cloud EHR in particular was a game changer. Just a couple of years ago the general public had never conceived that transfer of medical information electronically would become so crucial in the healthcare industry. The U.S. government realized how significant it was to implement the system nationwide; as a result subsequent policies were formed to incentivize the adoption of EHR.
In an age where comprehensive market research affects any purchase decision to a great extent, clinicians are no different and are becoming more thorough with their choice of EHR systems which are specific to their requirements. A basic EHR system does not suit all medical offices; many practitioners prefer scheduling, medical billing and practice management incorporated into their software. This is where the cloud EHR application transformed the market altogether, providing various modules augmented as a single software hosted remotely by the vendor. What this translated for physicians across the nation was a paperless practice and greater security. Since all confidential patient information is stored within an encrypted remote server instead of the doctor’s office, it is extremely difficult to breach such data. Therefore, the question of data security was also addressed through the implementation of cloud EHR.
While determining the choice of cloud EHR, it’s very important to take into account the increase in value for the patient eventually, as a result of implementing a cloud EHR. Majority cloud EHR vendors have incorporated the facility of a patient portal, which is a platform for accessing health information and patient-physician communication. Patients can have secure access to their protected health information (PHI) from any place at any time through their patient portal. Furthermore, a patient portal allows patients to stay in touch with their physicians round the clock; they can also correspond with their doctor by way of email through the patient portal. This makes scheduling for both doctor and patient all the more easier. From the perspective of the end user, as a patient I would definitely opt for a cloud EHR which would give me the facility of a patient portal; as do most patients nowadays.
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Keeping modules such as practice management, medical billing and patient portal in mind, it’s imperative for clinicians to evaluate the viability of the EHR vendor they choose. Aspects such as customer support, upgrades and pricing have to be factored in while making the final purchase decision. A physician shouldn’t always go for the cheapest price; maybe the cheaper vendor is just about to be acquired by a larger company leaving all liability on the physician for any changes that follow. Furthermore, adopting a cloud EHR from a vendor can take up to several weeks and most vendors do offer demos of their products. Clinicians can easily decide if a system is user friendly, and whether it satisfies their requirements via the demo.
To conclude, one thing is certain, conforming to best practice standards through EHR adoption is the way forward. It’s inevitable for practices to adopt EHRs in order to achieve greater efficiency, enhanced delivery of care and compliance with meaningful use standards.
