Making the Switch to Go Paperless: Implementing EMR Properly

Has your medical office been considering going paperless by transferring all of its paper patients’ records into an electronic format? Make no mistake; there are a number of benefits your practice can enjoy by going paperless, including:

• Increased efficiency—The time and space it takes to keep paper records for your patients just doesn’t make sense when a fast, convenient electronic alternative is available. With electronic medical records (EMR), you can quickly create new patient records and access old patient records with just a click of the mouse.
• Improved patient care—There are many ways patients will see better care thanks to EMR. First, in emergency situations, patient records can be accessed much more quickly than they can with paper patient records. Also, when patients switch medical practices, the new medical office can access a patient’s complete record through a web-based system, rather than relying on the new patient to remember all important details of his or her medical history.
• Less environmental waste—Just think of the amount of paper you could save if you stopped keeping patients’ records on paper. Even small medical offices could probably save several thousands of sheets of paper each year by making the switch to EMR.
• Huge cost savings—Switching to EMR can save your practice a lot of money. Not only do you cut out the cost of paper, but you’ll also do away with the manpower and the space needed for physical file storage.

Now that you understand the benefits of EMR, it’s time to learn how to implement it properly to maximize these benefits.

The first thing you need to realize is that there are literally hundreds of EMR programs to choose from. Each program has its own advantages and disadvantages. So how can you make sure you choose the right one for your medical office?

Here are a few things you should look for in an EMR system.

• Low price—One of the main advantages of EMR is that it can save your practice money. Of course, the more money you spend on EMR, the less you’ll save. Look for a quality EMR system that’s reasonably priced or even free, like Practice Fusion. The Practice Fusion web-based system is 100% free because it’s an ad-supported system. An ad-free version is also available for $100 per month per practitioner. 

• Security—Securing your patient’s records should always be a top priority. The best EMR systems have top of the line security features to prevent unauthorized access to your patients’ private information. 

• Reliability—You need to know that the EMR system you choose will be there for you whenever you need it. You can’t afford to use an unreliable system that might go down or be slow and buggy. Take Practice Fusion for example. Our web-based electronic health record system is available for your practice at all times. By utilizing the highest levels of SaaS infrastructure, we give you a more reliable system than one that you would have on your local servers.

The key to getting the most out of EMR is to choose the solution that best fits your practice’s needs. If you follow the simple guidelines in this article, you’ll enjoy all the benefits EMR has to offer. 

This is a guest post by Kitty Vogen, a freelance writer who is currently passionate in writing about topics including medical software, e-prescribing, and anything else related to the health industry.                                                                                                      

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