How Do Electronic Health Records Improve Patient Care? A Quick but Thorough Explanation

There is no doubt that electronic health records (EHR) have had a profound impact on the healthcare industry. Many experts believe that EHRs are one of the most important advances in healthcare technology in the past decade. BBut how do EHRs work, and more importantly, how do they improve patient care? In this blog post, we will explore those questions and discuss some of the benefits of using EHRs in clinical practice.

EHRs Improve Portability and Sharing of Patient Information

One of the most important benefits of EHRs is that they improve the portability and sharing of patient information. In the past, patient medical records were often stored in paper files, which made it difficult to share information between different healthcare providers. With EHRs, patient information is stored electronically, making it much easier to share between providers. This is especially important for patients who see multiple specialists or who need to be seen by a provider in another state or country.

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EHRs Can Help Reduce Medical Errors

Medical errors are a serious problem in healthcare, and anything that can help reduce them is a major benefit of using EHRs. One way that EHRs help reduce errors is by providing better decision support for clinicians. For example, EHRs can alert clinicians to potential drug interactions or allergies. EHRs can also help ensure that patients receive the correct tests and procedures based on their individual needs.

EHRs Enhance Coordination of Care

Another way that EHRs improve patient care is by enhancing the coordination of care between different healthcare providers. When all of a patient’s providers are using the same EHR system, they can easily share information with each other and coordinate care more effectively. This is especially important for patients with chronic conditions who see multiple specialists.

EHRs Improve Population Health Management

Finally, EHRs can also help improve population health management. By collecting data on large groups of patients, EHRs can help identify trends and patterns in diseases. This information can then be used to develop new treatment protocols or prevention strategies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, EHRs have the potential to greatly improve patient care by reducing errors, enhancing coordination of care, and improving population health management. While there are still some challenges to implementing EHRs, the benefits make them well worth the effort.

What do you think? Are these benefits big enough to get you to make the EHR switch? If so, contact us about EMR integration.