Electronic health record (EHR) systems that suit the demands of physicians, employees, and patients are required in hospitals. However, we understand that physicians and staff already have enough on their plates; an EHR shouldn’t be one of them. Let’s cover small practice EHR implementation mistakes to avoid.
So, just to help you out, we’ve compiled a shortlist of frequent pitfalls to avoid while deploying a new EHR. EHR implementation errors can have several negative consequences, some of which are severe and others minor.
When delving deeper into implementation flaws, practitioners risk making the same mistakes in all situations. However, certain implementation issues are specific to a practice context, such as small practices.
What is the meaning of EHR implementation?
A multidisciplinary approach is required to prepare the new system, guarantee privacy and security compliance, develop practice processes, educate the care team, and manage the adoption process. intelyConnect offers a no-code and low-code approach to healthcare data integration and interoperability.
A well-thought-out EHR installation may make it easier for the practice to adjust to the new system, which benefits patients, physicians, and employees.
Why is EHR implementation important?
You might have health records dispersed throughout several doctor’s offices if you used the old system of actual file folders. If you moved to a different office, data would have to be duplicated and transmitted or faxed to your new doctor so they could fully inform them about your health.
You can see how many problems this may cause – a patient forgetting their previous visit information, missing or incomplete records, and difficult-to-read handwriting, to name a few.
EHR implementation aims to digitize your medical records to be accessible to all of your medical professionals. Providers record their notes in an EHR system so that any future doctor may access them, interpret them, and add to them.
What are the most typical EHR implementation mistakes that small practices make?
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Don’t invest in complex EHR systems:
Healthcare technology will undoubtedly fascinate you, but you must remain focused on your practice’s purpose. So, rather than starting with “must-have” features, figure out what you want to accomplish with a new EHR system.
Then it will make sense to look for the best EHR system to assist you in achieving your objectives. It’s not just about you; you also have to think about how simple or difficult it will be for your employees to embrace your new EHR system.
Their choices should provide you with an indication of how user-friendly your EHR should be. The more you and your team understand how to use the system, the better you will be able to perform.
When purchasing new EHR software for your practice, the ease of moving between displays and the regularity of vendor updates should be the top priorities.
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Remember to let your patients know about your upgrades:
Make sure your patients know any upcoming updates or modifications you plan to make. It will assist them in anticipating future delays. Your employees may have gotten exceptional training, but there is still a learning curve to overcome, which might take some time.
As a result, be prepared for delayed processes at first, as your workforce catches up. As you adopt a new EHR system, the more you educate your patients about the modifications, the less dissatisfied they’ll be.
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Allowing patients to feel impersonal is not a good idea:
We don’t typically consider how technology will affect one-on-one interactions (doctor to a patient). As a result, it may be unpleasant and impersonal, especially when trying to enter data while conversing with your patient. Proper training can keep you out of such uncomfortable situations.
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Remember to keep the workflow procedure up to date:
You could be going above and above in your patient care, such as writing prescriptions, taking notes, or writing down medical history. You just do this to input them into the EHR, but the entire procedure takes longer and raises the risk of medical mistakes.
As a result, it’s a good idea to regularly check and audit your clinical workflow to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your system and aren’t wasting time with unnecessary tasks.
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Remember to select the device which will run EHR:
You must also decide on the devices on which your EHR will be placed; perhaps a portable tablet that allows you to be more flexible or a PC would benefit your clinic.
When collecting information, your chosen gadgets will help you maintain patient involvement. However, allowing these terrible faults and blunders to become a side effect of your new EHR system is not good.
These errors may appear little, but when it comes to the frequent usage of EHR software, they can cause a major conflict between you, your employees, and your patients.
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Choose the best internal leadership group:
Create an internal EMR committee right now. Choose the people in your practice who are most likely to be EMR champions. Members of the ideal committee welcome change, participate passionately, and are respected by their peers.
It’s worth noting that the EMR committee should be well-versed in the long-term aims and benefits of working in a physician’s practice with a fully functional EMR system.
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Make explicit and quantifiable objectives:
To get the most return on your investment, set clear targets. For example, if targets like “decrease outside transcription expenses by 50% within nine months” are reached, implementation is more likely to succeed.
Moreover, compared to “making the office more efficient,” such aims are more quantifiable.
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Don’t forget to offer enough training to your employees:
You can’t anticipate a seamless and quick transition if you and your workers haven’t been adequately taught. Instead, expect it to be slow and unpleasant. As a result, ensure that everyone obtains the necessary training.
You may also choose which employees will be trained as super users so that they can help others anytime they are required. Make consistent training a priority if you want to increase the efficiency of your workflow.
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Don’t over-engineer your electronic health record (EHR) system:
You could be tempted to have your new EHR resemble your papers while personalizing it to your needs, but this isn’t the ideal approach.
It might take some time to adjust to new technology and become proficient. EHRs were created to assist you in eliminating paper-based operations and give you the most efficient workflow possible.
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Don’t forget to collect feedback for permanent improvement:
After you’ve successfully installed the EHR, collect user feedback to keep improving the process. In addition, maintain open lines of communication so that workers and doctors can freely express their opinions.
Your practice will benefit from the EHR system if everyone works collaboratively. Implementing an EHR is a multi-step procedure that necessitates careful preparation. Make a move as easy as possible by following these procedures.
Conclusion:
Even though smaller practices share many of the concerns that bigger practices have, small practices should pay extra attention to workflow design, support, and training to prevent potentially costly difficulties during implementation and afterward.
Suppose you’re seeking to modify or buy an EHR that works for you and allows you to specialize in providing high-quality patient care.
In that case, intelyConnect EHR is one of the only popular options. However, it will modify itself to satisfy your demands instead of altering how you work.
