02 Feb 4 advantages of EHR use

Imagine taking a vacation and waking up feeling severely ill, or going through an accident that causes you extreme pain that requires immediate urgent care. There’s no time to head home to see your doctor, so what do you do? You could venture to the nearest doctor, but he knows nothing about your medical history or possible allergies you may have that could’ve caused you pain in the first place. This seems like an ideal situation for disaster, however, the advancements in health information technology have created a solution to this horrific problem.

Electronic health records, or EHRs, make streamlining medical records from practice to practice possible and they also provide long-term savings throughout the medical health field, according to Medicalrecords.com. Not only do EHRs make the way physicians communicate more efficient, but they allow proper organization to maximize the care of the patient.

Here are just a few advantages and benefits of using electronic health records.

1. EHRs provide accurate information
Health IT said an advantage physicians have when using electronic health records is that they are receiving accurate, up-to-date information about patients at the immediate point of care. Therefore, if something happens while you are out of town, the physician you’re seeing will be able to access your health records.

2. EHRs save time
According to MedCity News, one of the biggest advantages of using electronic health record software is all of the time that will be saved for the both the physician and the patient. With EHRs, doctors can pull up patients medical records much quicker, which in turn lets them spend more time providing care. As for the patient, he will not have to wait in long lines that may have been caused by searching through disorganized health records.

3. EHRs solve billing issues
Unfortunately, errors tend to happen from time to time when it comes to manual billing. Medical billing services that come with electronic health records are a more reliable resource and can solve problems that occur throughout manual billing. This can help make the doctor feel more confident and the patient feel less stressed at the end of the day.

4. EHRs reduce paperwork costs
By using electronic health records, Health IT said practices can rest assured knowing money has not been wasted on relying on piles of paperwork. This advancement in health information technology practically eliminates the need for paperwork, providing a much more eco-friendly and efficient health record alternative.

At the end of the day, the most important part of electronic health record implementation is the safety of the patient. EHRs provide the patient with better health care, an improvement of clinical decision making and lowered health care costs. By showing the patient the effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness and equity that is provided through EHRs, the future of health information technology can supply overall safety that is meant to last in the world of health care.