An EMR interface is a means of exchanging patient medical records between different data management systems. With a well-designed interface, it’s possible to bring together data from doctor’s charts, the nursing home, the medical laboratory and the billing department. Let’s briefly look at how an efficient EMR interface can boost interoperability between different data management systems in the hospital and improve the quality of care.
1. A holistic approach to care
An EMR system is a vital tool for a doctor’s practice. It provides and analyzes data in a simple and meaningful way. It also relieves providers of the tough task of documentation and data entry by streamlining workflows. This allows physicians to have more time to treat and care for their patients.
When an EMR interface integrates data from the laboratory, pharmacy, radiology, surgery and other specialties, it enhances a holistic approach to care. The following features can improve the speed and accuracy of treatment while enhancing provider productivity.
- customizable templates
- pop-up forms
- e-prescription
- medication tracking
2. Reducing administrative costs
A significant amount of hospital spending is used to cover administrative costs. Custom EHR interfaces can help reduce the number of hours spent manually updating provider information. They streamline processes and prevent unnecessary delays during provider outreach caused by incorrect addresses, phone numbers or fax numbers.
When there’s a portal for referring physicians, it enhances communication in the organization. It serves as a powerful interface for improving provider-provider, provider-employer and provider-patient relationship.
3. Enhanced productivity
A well-designed interface reduces or totally eliminates duplicate work. There’s no need for physicians to fill out the same information repeatedly, thus increasing efficiency and reducing costs. Similarly, the billing department is able to quickly find insurance plan information for patients. This reduces the amount of time required to process claims and eliminates delays caused by coding errors.
4. Electronic prescriptions
Creating an interface for e-prescriptions allows your clinic to write prescriptions and process them electronically. You can give the patient a legible printout or send the order to a connected pharmacy. E-prescriptions also make it possible to effectively manage the ordering of controlled substances.
E-prescriptions eliminate errors caused by writing the wrong brand or name of the medication, and they also allow the physician to see any allergies or adverse reactions that the patient may have at the point when the prescription is being written.
5. Better patient interaction
Another important interface is the patient portal. A custom portal for patient interaction enhances the quality of care from the time of booking until the patient is discharged. It also makes it easy for a doctor to keep on communicating with the patient for effective follow-up. Some portals allow the patient to enter certain important health metrics like blood pressure and blood sugar, which can be obtained through self-testing equipment. These readings can be reviewed by a physician at the next visit to the clinic.
Would You Like to Learn More About Custom EMR Interfaces?
Call Lifepoint now to discover how custom EMR interfaces can help you save time, enhance productivity, get payments faster and improve your overall quality of care.