Reduce EHR Implementation Time with These Tips

1. Reduce EHR Implementation Time with These Tips For most medical practices, electronic health record (EHR) systems are an established part of life. They’re useful tools that professionals and patients rely on to store and access medical information. But just because they’re important and common doesn’t make them easier to use. Medical practices may wonder how they’re going to incorporate new EHR systems into their already-busy schedules. To achieve this integration, medical employees might want to talk with an EHR representative to develop ways to ease this transition, ways that could include the following suggestions. Educating about systems Even shopping for EHR systems may be challenging. To determine which EHR system is right for their eye care practices, people need to consider many factors. Price is one. Not just how much the product costs, but what it will deliver for the price, whether there are financing options, and other such questions. Next, practices might consider different factors, including: Which features does each EHR offer? Which features do their offices absolutely need? Which features do they like, but don’t necessarily need Which features could they need in the future? Since they know their products thoroughly, experienced EHR representatives could answer these and other questions and make recommendations based on them. They could help practices find, purchase, and install the right software more quickly. Offering testing opportunities During the selection process, or even directly after purchasing products, medical offices might have additional questions that can’t be answered with spoken or written responses.

2. Real-life tests could provide answers and reassurances. Representatives might offer demonstrations (demos) that allow medical professionals to learn about the systems in question. Such tests could demonstrate how specific software solutions handle the information and situations the professionals would encounter in a typical day’s work. It can show them whether certain software would work for the people and offices using it, and determine how comfortable people are using it. Learning what works (and what doesn’t work) before purchasing particular EHR systems can prevent practices from wasting their money and time. This way, they’ll be more likely to purchase the right systems from the start instead of buying, trying, and rejecting substandard ones and having to go through the process all over again. Making transition plans Once they’ve selected and purchased the products of their choices, eye care practices should determine how they’re going to incorporate them. Are they replacing another old electronic health records solution? A paper- based file system? A representative of the new system could show professionals how to complete the tasks they’ve always done while using their new software. This representative could also help practices create plans and schedules for the EHR-related tasks that need completing. They could develop rough estimates for when the tasks need to be completed and the length of time certain tasks and processes take. Knowledge like this might offer more streamlined ways of doing things, shortcuts that veteran users could impart to rookie ones. As an added bonus, it might provide some psychological comfort knowing other medical practices are using the systems in similar ways and have similar learning curves. Developing storage situations As their name indicates, electronic health records contain vital health- related information. They provide a convenient way to store and access needed data.

3. But purchasing a new EHR system doesn’t mean your medical practice didn’t use such records before. In fact, deciding how to handle an office’s older, established records is a vital part of EHR implementation. Professionals familiar with EHR systems might suggest ways that medical offices could handle legacy data, that is, the records and information they already have. Some systems allow practices to incorporate certain kinds of data when they transition from one EHR to the next. Others require more preparatory work, such as determining which data offices want to save and how long they want to save it. For example, they might deliberate about whether they want to save this data as images or data. Offices might also decide to store information in stand-alone applications or in the cloud (on the internet). If they’re retaining paper copies of files, they’ll need to decide where they want to keep them and who has physical access to them. Involving staff members Speaking of an office’s employees, implementing EHRs isn’t just working with files, but working with people. A medical practice needs to involve its employees in every step of the EHR implementation process. Even before buying such a system, office managers or others involved in the purchase might want to solicit ideas from employees, asking them what they like and dislike about the office’s current records system and which features they’d like or need. When EHR representatives offer demonstrations of potential software, it could be useful to involve as many as the employees who will be using the system as possible. This participation could reduce the risk of drastic surprises caused by foreign technological tools. It also increases the likelihood of developing and customizing a system that serves the particular needs of a particular medical office. In addition, this involvement ensures that employee contributions are seen and heard. If their work is acknowledged, they may be more likely to adapt to changes in the office and cooperate with their fellow employees. Morale is an important part of any work environment. Employee recognition could contribute to good feelings that could ultimately lead to better productivity and more streamlined work processes.

4. Giving ongoing support Support from different places also makes the adoption of EHR systems easier and quicker. Technical support and advice aren’t just important during the purchase and initial installation phases. They’re important throughout the life of electronic health records systems and other types of professional tools. EHR representatives who offer technical assistance work with medical professionals to use and understand their products, troubleshoot and solve problems, and even avert future issues. As with other matters, a quick word from someone with experience could save considerable time and grief, correcting mistakes and preventing them from becoming bigger ones. Contacting Eye Care Leaders could provide such support. We’ll help you develop the right EHR for your medical practice and find ways you can easily integrate it into your current work.