EMR and EHR software are being utilized more and more extensively by the healthcare sector. The definition of EHR is a real-life, patient-centric record with immediate and secure access for permitted users. Grand View Research states that the global EHR software market was worth $20.4 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach $33.294 billion by 2023.
The EHR application has a lot of potential and this article will tell you about this process in detail.
Benefits of EHR Software
Let’s first clarify the definitions of EHR and EMR. The term EHR is sometimes used interchangeably with EMR, but there is actually a difference.
Therefore, EHR software provides more extensive possibilities for hospitals and medical institutions.
The electronic health record may contain the following information:
- patient demographics
- insurance information
- medical history and orders
- health assessment notes, graphics, health vitals
- medical tests, lab results, radiology images, etc.
- allergies
- prescriptions and treatment plans
- statistical data of medical practices
- billing and other information for patient management
Patients can benefit from EHR software in a few ways, namely:
- track and store personal healthcare data easily
- obtain enhanced and on-time medical care
- receive a faster and better diagnosis and further treatment
- have fewer errors in personal healthcare records
- deal with health concerns in a cost and time-efficient manner
- receive personalized reminders and appointments
- access interactive patient portal
Practices and healthcare providers receive the following advantages:
- increase in practice and clinic efficiency and productivity
- simplification of work for medical personnel
- improved quality of medical services (e.g. advanced e-prescription capabilities)
- unified and up-to-date digital medical data
- interoperability across different healthcare specialists and departments
- smooth and consistent interaction across other hospitals, laboratories, drug stores, insurance providers, and so on
- possibility of remote patient monitoring and consultations
- reduced bureaucracy
- elimination of errors
- better patient management
- possibility to collect and evaluate patient data for studies, improved service, and more
- ability to handle administrative tasks and billing
Essential Functionality in EHR Software
Based on the specifics of the healthcare provider, the functionality of the EHR system can be customized to suit their direct needs. This can be utilized in the following medical projects:
- Medical schedulers
- Apps for wearables
- Software for charting and reporting
- E-prescription tools
- Telemedicine options
- Patient portals
- mHealth applications
As for the functionality involved in the effective development of EHR, here is a detailed list of EHR features that can be included in this software.
- Seamless system integration
The integration time during the development process depends on the number of integrations and their complexity, like:
- HIS (Hospital Information Systems)
- Billing and reimbursement services
- Documentation systems
- Integration with laboratories, pharmacies, diagnostic centers or similar
- Other third-party APIs
- Electronic documentation management
- E-prescribing
- Digital test and lab results
- Medical dashboards
- Time management and scheduling
- Management of access control
- Report generation
- Patient profile and portal
Basically, the patient should be able to check the following details:
- allergies
- lab tests and results
- treatment history
- billing and payment information
- prescriptions and medications
For more advanced development, it is possible to add other distinct features, namely:
- requests for medication renewal
- payment and transaction-connected functionality
- inclusion of educational materials for patients
- ability to chat internally with health care providers
Specific Features of EHR Design
It is necessary to create the EHR design via the lens of human information processing and perception. Then, designs indeed contribute to intuitive and smooth software functioning.
Therefore, keep in mind the following considerations during EHR design creation:
1. The EHR design process should be iterative
2. Easy documentation and reporting layouts for practitioners
Try applying the following hints, namely:
- remove unnecessary checkboxes
- optimize fields for filling in information
- remove data replication
- use voice commands for texting (advanced feature)
- apply easy-to-use templates and forms
- create pre-defined drop-down fields (e.g. medication orders based on the diagnosis)
3. Well-thought-out processes, roles, and responsibilities
4. Patient-centric view in EHR design
5. Involvement of the developers for feasible EHR screen design
Key Considerations in Developing EHR
In brief, safety should be the top priority when dealing with EHR software. For privacy and security, development should utilize data encryption protocols used for authentication, access, networks, trusted connections, etc.
So, consider the following aspects, regulations, and guides during the development, namely:
- Compliance with GDPR
- HIPAA and HITECH regulations
- EHR interoperability
- Proper EHR certification
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) presented the Meaningful Use (MU) program, which is a part of the HITECH Act. All CEHRT are entitled to the following aspects:
- protection of patient health information (ePHI)
- use of e-prescriptions
- application of the CDA — Clinical Document Architecture, the XML-based markup standard as a model for clinical documentation exchange
- usage of CPOE (computerized provider order entry)
- access to updated digital health information for patients
- utilization of CEHRT for better patient engagement and care coordination
- improvement in health information exchange (HIE)
- coordination with Public Health Agency or Clinical Data Registry for ePHI submission
2. ONC-ATCB is the initial certification (Office of the National Coordinator from Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies) for electronic health record technology in the USA.
3. As for developing EHR software for the European Union, the system should pass the EuroRec certification. This attestation is pretty similar to ONC-ATCB.
Examples of Best EHR Software
Having a substantial market size of $28 billion in 2017 with annual growth, there are about 1,000 EHR service providers. The illustration below shows the top 5 EHR software programs according to the Capterra report.
Let’s briefly review the most popular EHR software programs.
eClinicalWorks is a top player in EHR software. It offers EMR, EHR systems, and practice management for healthcare providers. 70,000+ medical establishments in the USA use eClinicalWorks.
Allscripts Professional EHR is used for safer patient care, internal operations, and modernization for profit increases.
Cerner’s Ambulatory EHR helps to furnish the necessary data at the right moment for clinicians as they provide ambulatory practices.
Practice Fusion is the top, cloud-based EHR system across the USA and is used in 20,000+ medical institutions with 5 million patients monthly.
EpicCare software allows healthcare organizations to enhance their operational effectiveness by automation.
Below is a table summarizing the information and specifics of the top 5 EHR software systems, their intentions, and unique aspects.
EHR Software: Final Notes
The development of EHR software, especially with regard to reporting apps in the healthcare system, will surely be a lucrative segment in the next few years.
To start developing EHR software wisely, it is necessary to undergo the following steps:
- Set up the exact goals for the electronic health record system
- Plan the EHR program adoption in the healthcare organization in advance
- Find the proper development vendor
- Create a detailed functional specification along with the chosen team
- Conduct polls and research within the target audience of your future software
- Design an intuitive and appealing EHR software program
- Develop EHR functionality in compliance with health industry standards and guidelines
- Consider incorporating technology innovations in consequent EHR software versions (Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data, Blockchain, etc.)
Do not forget to keep up with news regarding policies and software compliance, since cybersecurity and data protection is a core element in any EHR system. This is a summary of an article. Check out more details and recommendations in the complete article on the MLSDev blog.
