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Benefits to having an EMR / EHR systemStart your Electronic Medical Records program now and enjoy these benefits.
The patient medical chart is the key document in healthcare. It communicates the specific information that doctors need. The immediate availability of such a record can make health care more efficient. Finding charts in the office or recalling charts from the Record Storage Company can be time consuming. Sometimes charts get lost too. Save Time and Money by Scanning Medical Records.There are all kinds of studies that state how much it costs to create, store, find a document. For example, one study suggests 13% of all charts are misfiled or lost and we spend over a quarter of time searching for those charts. Another study suggests it takes 18 minutes on average to locate a chart In some instances, this equates to over $10,000 per year. Money is also saved in reducing the need for so much office space delegated to medical chart storage. Restrict Access to Only Those Authorized.A major accounting firm suggests that patient records that are handled daily are done so with little regard to privacy regulations such as HIPAA. For example, patient records could be left on a desk or counter and other places where the general public would have immediate access. Electronic Medical Records systems have restrictions built into them so that only the authorized are able to see patient records. One way unauthorized people get access to medical records is when the records are no longer useful and are thrown into the trash instead of shredded. Reduce Time Looking for Charts.
This is one of the most obvious benefits. Patient records are available on the desktop - computer. Don't need to get up and go to the file room. Don't need to look for misfiled charts. Don't need to look for checked out charts. Even as the medical record is being examined by another authorized party, it can still be simultaneously available to all other authorized medical and office employees. Good for the Environment.According to some estimates, if the United States reduced it's paper consumption by 10%, that would be the equivalent of taking a quarter of a million cars off the road. The creation and recycling of paper consumes not only environmentally friendly trees, but fuel to cut and move the trees, power the plant to make them into paper, more fuel to ship the paper to offices. Fuel usage continues as the documents are shredded and taken to the recycler, and then onto the paper mill again. Protection From Natural Disasters.The loss of patient medical records caused by hurricane Katrina, ended up costing taxpayers and insurance companies billions of dollars. Since the charts were destroyed, a great number of medical tests had to be redone at a great expense to patients, doctors and finally tax payers and insurance payers. Other disasters can be harmful, such as an office fire. Fire destroys documents, but so does the water often used to put out the fire. Why Install an EMR - Electronic Medical Records System Now.The future is moving toward Electronic Medical Records. You have to decide on the optimum system for you today. You will want a system that provides you with the most comprehensive software, with the easiest interface to use. Find such a Electronic Medical Records (EMR) service provider on this website and start enjoying the benefits of having all your patient records in electronic format..
The most recent hurricane disasters remind everyone of the potential risk of having your records on paper only. Many of these records were destroyed. This left thousands of patient records missing. Billions of dollars were spent to redo medical tests and records because of the loss of paper records. Electronic Medical Records Systems Protect the Privacy of Patient Medical Records
An Electronic Health Records System can make it easier to restrict and control the access to patient charts and medical records in general. Only those who are authorized will have access to the electronic charts. The laws state that it is the practice's responsibility to do everything in your power to limit unnecessary access to confidential documents. What better way to restrict the access to private confidential information than to remove the paper records and only allow authorized employees access to the digital images. HIPAAHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), was enacted in 1996 and includes provisions intended to safeguard the privacy of patient health records. HIPAA is a significant piece of legislation with onerous penalties. For a full text of the SUMMARY OF THE HIPAA PRIVACY RULE from the Department of Human Services, available online go to: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacysummary.rtf. See page 16 of this document in regards to specifically "securing records under lock and key.…and limiting access….." Data Safeguards. A covered entity must maintain reasonable and appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to prevent intentional or unintentional use or disclosure of protected health information in violation of the Privacy Rule and to limit its incidental use and disclosure pursuant to otherwise permitted or required use or disclosure. For example, such safeguards might include only allowing authorized personnel the access to confidential electronic records. HIPAA LINKS |
