Recent statistics reveal that 96% of hospitals and 86% of physicians have adopted electronic health or medical records (EHR or EMR) systems to securely house as well as efficiently manage patient health information (PHI).
While the data storage offered by EHR and EMR software is valuable, rehab therapy providers should also be able to access patients’ medical history, document visits, and track multi-disciplinary treatment plans with ease.
Keep reading to explore five different benefits that come from leveraging a comprehensive and customizable EHR and EMR systems.
1. Improved Coordination Of Patient Care
Without question, providers want to ensure the best patient care possible, which often requires sharing data between the primary care physician, various specialists and/or other referral providers. No matter when or where a patient receives care, each encounter with a healthcare professional should be documented, so that every step of the patients’ journey can be easily accessible, leading to data-driven decisions and better coordination of care. Click here to learn more about the importance of collaborative care.
2. Enhanced Patient Outcomes
Every healthcare professional knows that patient outcomes improve with early intervention and when treatment plans can be tailored to individualized specific needs.
With robust EHR/EMR software, providers not only gain accurate and up to date medical history, but are alerted to allergies or previous medications, all of which streamlines clinical documentation and helps treat a patient’s immediate needs while proactively avoiding supplemental risks. Additionally, providers can offer patients preventative care and advise them on lifestyle changes that may counteract any future health consequences.
3. Increased Efficiencies and Lowered Costs
While delivering excellent patient care is the goal of every healthcare organization, providers must ensure the health of their practice as well. By automating workflows and utilizing task management tools, your business will be better enabled to increase staff productivity and improve clinical performance.
One of the key benefits of EHR or EMR usage is how they enable intuitive reporting and precise billing, which adds up to greater cost savings and reduced staff overhead.
4. Empowered Patients
When patients have access to personalized plans of care, they feel empowered to achieve goals and attain positive outcomes. With an EHR/EMR solution that features interactive patient engagement tools, providers can grant individuals access to their own records and lab results through secure patient portals, which in turn offers patients greater convenience as well as improved price transparency.
In addition to reviewing their information, patients can also utilize portals or kiosks to schedule online appointments, easily complete intake paperwork, request prescription refills and directly message their providers. These portals can also be leveraged as a resource outlet for educational information regarding symptoms, treatments, medications and/or exercise routines that can help patients take better charge of their health.
5. Better Clinical Decision Making
According to 75% of providers, EHR or EMR solutions help them deliver better care to patients as well as make quick clinical decisions based on easily accessible, accurate information. With an advanced software solution, multiple providers can simultaneously view current records and use that insight to guide treatment for every patient.
In addition, the built-in functionality of business intelligence and analytics allows providers to dive deeper into operational key performance indicators (KPIs). By routinely tracking critical data such as visit metrics or engagement campaigns, you are able to monitor trends, identify patterns and make adjustments as needed in order to optimize clinical efficiencies.
Benefits of EHR and EMR Technology in Rehabilitation Therapy
Electronic records that store patient information, which include electronic health records (EHR) or electronic medical records (EMR), offer numerous benefits for healthcare organizations. Here are some of the most significant advantages, summarized:
Improved Patient Care
EHRs provide a comprehensive picture of a patient’s health history, allowing providers to make informed treatment decisions. One cross-sectional study found that 78% of physicians with EHRs reported enhanced patient care overall.
Efficiency and Productivity
Electronic records eliminate the need to manually search for and retrieve paper files, leading to faster access to patient information and streamlined administrative tasks. Additionally, top-performing EHR systems provide clinical efficiency features designed to save time spent on documentation and reduce provider fatigue.
Regulatory Compliance
EHRs simplify the process of compliance reporting with various regulatory requirements and quality measures, and are a requirement of certain programs, like the MIPS Promoting Interoperability performance category.
Financial Health
While initial setup comes with costs, in the long run, EHRs can lead to significant cost savings by reducing paper, improving clinical efficiency, and streamlining billing processes.
Security and Auditing
Electronic records offer security features that are impossible to replicate in a paper-based system, such as encryption, 2-factor authentication, activity monitoring, user permissions, and automatic session time-outs.
Data Analytics and Business Intelligence
EHRs allow for large-scale data analysis, which can provide insights into public health trends, the effectiveness of treatments, and other research.
Reduced Errors
Digital records can reduce transcription errors and misinterpretations caused by handwritten notes. EHR software can take it a step further with built-in error-checking features and rules. In one Health Services Research study, 65% of surveyed physicians said that EHR use alerted them to a potential medication error.
Real-Time Updates
Patient records and appointment schedules can be updated in real-time, ensuring that everyone involved in a patient’s care has the latest information.
Data Recovery
Disasters happen, and they often happen unpredictably. Practices that are reliant on paper systems are vulnerable to losing patient information without the benefit of digital backups, especially in the event of flooding, fire, or other crisis. (Knock on wood!)
Looking Ahead: How EHRs Support Value-Based Care
As innovative technology continues to transform the industry, providers are focusing more and more on personalized patient experiences as well as prioritizing engagement efforts.
Over the years, value-based healthcare has taken center stage and with it an emphasis on tying compensation to patient outcomes. Under the value-based model, providers are rewarded for helping patients improve their health whereas the previous fee-for-service model paid providers based on how many services were delivered.
Because certified EHR technology provides the connectivity that is essential to optimizing these outcomes, they are a vital tool for delivering care under a value-based model.
At Raintree Systems, our practice management and certified EHR systems for rehabilitation therapy help practices increase patient engagement improve productivity, and maximize revenue. Interested in learning more?
Request a demo to discover the power of our leading all-in-one platform for PT, OT, SLP, ABA and multi-specialty practices.
