Imagine starting every visit with a complete picture of the patient's health journey, whether they are new or established. Picture having instant access to everything from a patient's growth chart and immunization records to specialist consultations and ED visits. Then, imagine being able to digitize your entire new patient intake process. No more relying on incomplete information or a parent's recollection.

Simply defined, vendor consolidation in healthcare IT is the process of reducing the number of vendors you engage with, while carefully choosing partners who can still fulfill all or most of your needs.

Interoperability is a big word that is often used when discussing healthcare efficiencies and workflows, but what exactly is interoperability? In the context of healthcare, interoperability refers to the ability of any tool to manage, access, and transfer data between different providers or health systems.

When we initially chose to become a PCMH, it was purely a financial decision. However, as we dug through the policies and best practices, we began to see how much of an impact it would have on our patients and their families.

Don’t let the challenges of implementing a data transfer hold you back from switching to a better pediatric EHR system. It might well be a challenging process, but it will be worth it over the long term.

When we think about information — and specifically, about patient information — one of the first things to come to mind is the problem of taking it with you. Of course, the days of the bulky paper chart that has to be scanned in (or worse, photocopied) and provided to the patient and their family is long gone, but the issue hasn’t disappeared; it’s simply changed with the technology we use to record and disperse information.