Turning EHR Challenges into EHR Solutions

Are you a part of the 40% of physicians stating that there are more challenges to EHRs than benefits?

According to Stanford Medicine, 59% of physicians think that EHRs need a complete overhaul in order to better suit the needs of medical practices. What if we told you that some of these EHR challenges could be turned into EHR solutions? Now, hold tight – we know you are frustrated, tired, and running low on patience. EHR solutions are real, tangible, and achievable for your practice…

EHR Challenge: Increased Work Hours

EHR Solution: EHR Optimization and Streamlining

There aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish many tasks. However, completing your charting for your patients doesn’t have to be one of them. Optimizing utilization of your EHR system through training, support, and add-on products enables you and other staff members to move effortlessly throughout your system. Optimization will take time, effort, and dedication.

Streamlining your efforts through the use of an EHR can save you time. It eliminates manual entry through products like voice recognition software. EHR’s promote e-prescribing which saves you time from looking up allergies or past medication records because the system will have that information. Optimizing and streamlining usage of your EHR may come in waves through different products, training, and various other efforts. All of these come with the reward of decreased time in front of your machine.

EHR Challenge: Limited Interaction with Patients

EHR Solution: Invest in Training

The better you understand your EHR system, the less time you will need to spend fiddling around with it. Yes, many systems involve a lot of clicks to reach your desired screen. However, if you are clicking all of the wrong icons, this delays the final destination even longer. Invest in training time, super users, and dedicated support with your vendor to understand your EHR system. Time well spent learning how to utilize your software will result in more one-on-one face time with your patients. Ultimately, this will lead to a more satisfied patient base and a more satisfied you.

EHR Challenge: Inefficiencies with EHR Interface and Dashboards

EHR Solution: Customization and Feature Requests

Did you know that many EHR vendors allow you to customize the dashboard in your EHR to display the features that you frequently use? For example, if you would like to be able to access your encounter wizard easily, you can –more than likely- customize your EMR dashboard to have a shortcut to the encounter. If you are unsure of how to do this, call your vendor! They are there to help you and support you. This is because they want you to thrive with your EHR. Sometimes that means you need a little bit of tailoring done to your software.

Feature requests are another great way to make sure your voice is heard when it comes to issues with user interface, usability discrepancies with dashboards, click through errors, and more. Each vendor will have a different way that they take in this information. For example, MicroMD uses a platform called “MyVoice” to receive feature requests from clients. This platform allows MicroMD to view what’s important to that practice, and others, through voting systems. (If your vendor is unaware of the issues you are experiencing in your system, they cannot take active strides to curb the problem(s).)

Turning EHR challenges into EHR solutions is not an easy feat and your whole office will have to be on board to make this process successful.

It comes down to hard work, diligence, and utilization of resources at its fullest. You cannot conquer any project without having all of the tools and research necessary to do it well – EHR ongoing adoption is no different. You can turn these challenges, and more, into solutions, sometimes you just need a little extra help from your software vendor.

Are you ready to turn your EHR challenges into EHR solutions with MicroMD? Visit micromd.com or call 1-800-624-8832 for more information or to get started.