Administrative and Management Benefits:
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==Administrative and Management Benefits==
==Administrative and Management Benefits==
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By moving beyond the paper records, EMR can help Heath Care Providers do a better job at managing patient care. A vast amount of information can be easily used and shared. When fully functional and exchangeable, EMRs can offer far more benefits than managing paper records can.
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By moving beyond the paper records, EMR can help Heath Care Providers do a better job at managing patient care. A vast amount of information can be easily used and shared. When fully functional and exchangeable, EMRs can offer far more benefits than managing paper records can.
At a higher level of EMR implementation and functionality, Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) can help standardize the clinical practice and eliminate variation. Some examples of benefits of CPOE are:
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* help improve communication amongst care givers
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* expedite patient transfer to other levels of care
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* capture data for quality assurance and administrative purposes
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* aid practice and care in a complex care environment through the use of alerts and reminders
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* provides some level of assurance to patients that technology is being applied to their safety [1].
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'''Improved quality and convenience of patient care '''
'''Improved quality and convenience of patient care '''
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With the implementation of EMRs, patients' health information is available in one place and can be accessed when and where it is needed. Complete access to health information is essential for safe and effective care of patients which can lead to better patient outcomes and high quality care. Health care providers with busy practices and patients with busy lives can conveniently manage their health care transactions with EMRs.
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With the implementation of EMRs, patients' health information is available in one place and can be accessed when and where it is needed. Complete access to health information is essential for safe and effective care of patients which can lead to better patient outcomes and high quality care. Health care providers with busy practices and patients with busy lives can conveniently manage their health care transactions with EMRs.
Besides, the 'clinical information distribution framework' (paper processes) is antiquated and does not support the modern practice of medicine as it migrates increasingly to evidence-based practice. Four signs that these outmoded processes need to change:
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* '''Paper based systems are not viable''' - patient care should be driven by point of care information available to clinicians when and where they need it. This is typically not available in paper based processes but is in the EHR.
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* '''Human memory is unreliable -''' so much research is being published that clinicians do not have time to read it all and the unaided mind is hard-pressed to recall all the detailed knowledge that current studies can impart. Computer based alerts, reminders and similar tools are needed!
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* '''Capturing clinical data is a new business imperative''' - clinically based information needs to be utilized for better responsiveness to unaffordable high costs of care and for use in disease management; EHRs are better adapted at these tasks than are paper based processes.
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* '''Rising consumer expectations''' - increasing numbers of consumers have high expectations of IT in various facets of their lives and this includes healthcare where they are increasingly responsible for managing their care [2]. Paper charts controlled by the provider do not meet consumer expectations for control of their information and convenient access.
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'''Increased patient participation in their care'''
'''Increased patient participation in their care'''
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'''Increased practice efficiencies and cost savings'''
'''Increased practice efficiencies and cost savings'''
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EMRs help improve medical practice management by increasing practice efficiencies and cost savings. A practice can be made more efficient by using integrated EMR systems that can be used for scheduling, automated coding, and managing claims which save time as well. Communication is enhanced among clinicians, labs and health plans as information can be accessed from anywhere. EMRs save money by reducing redundancies in medical care, by eliminating costly tasks of creating paper charts and labor intensive management of paper charts.
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EMRs help improve medical practice management by increasing practice efficiencies and cost savings. A practice can be made more efficient by using integrated EMR systems that can be used for scheduling, automated coding, and managing claims which save time as well.
As one example, a clinic or physician practice can expect to increase revenue and decrease costs by converting the encounter form to digital format to reduce billing errors and revenue loss. Prompts for fields that need to be completed will reduce errors by an average of 78% according to one study [3].
Communication is enhanced among clinicians, labs and health plans as information can be accessed from anywhere. EMRs save money by reducing redundancies in medical care, by eliminating costly tasks of creating paper charts and labor intensive management of paper charts.
Very simply, the EHR eliminates paper chart pulls and staffing expenses can be reduced as a result. One study estimated that an average of $5 per pull would be saved considering the time and cost of medical records staff to retrieve and then re-file the paper chart. The clinic studied expected it would reduce paper chart pulls by approximately 600 annually and transcription costs would be reduced by 28% [4].
There is significant evidence to show that while initial costs remain an issue, switching from paper records to EHR systems will ultimately reduce overall health care expenses. Research indicates that Medicare and private payers could save tens of billions of dollars every year. To incentivize EMR adoption, the federal government has established a plan to provide $44.7 billion during 2010-2019 to financially assist health care providers in the EMR implementation process [4]. However according to Himmelstein, Wright & Woolhandler, as currently implemented, the use of Electronic Medical Records could moderately advance metrics related to quality measures, it does however not reduce the cost of administration of ‘overall’ costs. “Hospitals on the ‘Most Wired’ list performed no better than others on quality, costs, or administrative costs” (Himmelstein, Wright & Woolhandler, 2009). Forecasts of potential improvements in efficiency and cost-savings from implementation of computerized health care and the use of Electronic Medical Records seem premature at the time the authors published their data in 2009 [12].
There is significant evidence to show that while initial costs remain an issue, switching from paper records to EHR systems will ultimately reduce overall health care expenses. Research indicates that Medicare and private payers could save tens of billions of dollars every year. To incentivize EMR adoption, the federal government has established a plan to provide $44.7 billion during 2010-2019 to financially assist health care providers in the EMR implementation process [4]. However according to Himmelstein, Wright & Woolhandler, as currently implemented, the use of Electronic Medical Records could moderately advance metrics related to quality measures, it does however not reduce the cost of administration of ‘overall’ costs. “Hospitals on the ‘Most Wired’ list performed no better than others on quality, costs, or administrative costs” (Himmelstein, Wright & Woolhandler, 2009). Forecasts of potential improvements in efficiency and cost-savings from implementation of computerized health care and the use of Electronic Medical Records seem premature at the time the authors published their data in 2009 [12].