Benefits and Drawbacks of Electronic Health Records

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) first appeared in 1972. They’ve quickly become such an indispensable part of the healthcare industry over the last few decades that it’s difficult to imagine what it would be like without this level of technological innovation. EHRs were first developed as a central repository for a patient’s medical data, but they’ve become so much more.  Here's a quick overview of the benefits and drawbacks of Electronic Health Records, with some insight into how TempDev’s EHR can support your need to implement, switch, or even upgrade your EHR system.  

Benefits of Electronic Health Records 

EHRs are a transformative experience for practices, with access to integrated systems that offer a range of benefits to medical professionals and patients. Here are just a few of the big benefits you’ll find with electronic health records.  

EHRs Save Time 

Handling the files, forms, and other paperwork is a time-consuming process. It can also contribute to frustration, errors, and misinformation for medical professionals, staff, and patients. EHRs make the problem of paperwork disappear, as forms and authorizations become digitized.  

Instead of searching through file folders in metal cabinets, you have immediate access to medical records that are accurate, complete, and current. As you share your EHR information with your patients and their other care providers, you’re also able to more easily update and fill in the gaps for your patient records, which not only saves time but improves patient care and outcomes.  

EHRs improve patient care 

EHRs support better accessibility by patients and providers. 72 percent of hospitals say that technology has contributed to the improved quality of patient care, while 77 percent of patients feel better about how clinicians use mobile devices in their care. With seamless integration with remote patient monitoring and telehealth, patients can easily share even more data to improve their own care.

Beyond the ease of access to patient data, patients and medical professionals benefit from the wealth of educational materials accessible via EHRs. TempDev’s consulting services with EHR and EPM systems allow you to engage more fully with your patients while offering them accessibility and quality care.  

EHRs Offer Complete Integration Options 

EHR integration allows you to more easily integrate with the systems that you already use to support patient engagement and management. So, you can more easily share accurate diagnoses, labs, diagnostics, treatment plans, and prescriptions with hospitals, pharmacies, and other medical providers. No longer are the records and essential data disjointed and illegible.   

TempDev’s NextGen templates, dashboards, and reports offer efficient and cost-effective ways to facilitate high-quality care while easily integrating with patient-facing digital tools. Your goal is to ensure the highest quality care possible, but you’re now able to better use clinical decision support, analytics, patient intervention assistance, and preventative care measures.  

Drawbacks of Electronic Health Records 

EHRs offer a range of benefits that are difficult to ignore, but you need to see the full picture. As with any software upgrade or technological innovation, there are potential drawbacks you might experience if you run blindly into a new solution. With careful consideration, planning, and consulting from EHR experts in the field, you’ll avoid the drawbacks and discover ways to quickly and effectively implement an EHR solution that will meet the needs of everyone involved (including your patients).  

EHRs Require Time for Setup 

Electronic health records are complicated, which means that you must carefully plan out how you will proceed with the process of rolling it out. You also have a range of specialized and workflow design options to consider as you look at how to implement EHRs in a way that will best meet the needs of your practice.  

EHRs Aren't Always User Friendly

Many EHRs are thought to be non-intuitive and not user-friendly with way too many clicks that slow down patient care. This could present a risk to your organization as well as to your patients. TempDev’s team of NextGen experts offers a wealth of services to improve the user experience. They can design and organize your entire EHR system, but also offer tips for best practices and training that will ensure that you’re completely comfortable with the operations and processes. 

EHRs Require Compatibility 

If you were building your EHR system without consulting assistance, you might worry about the interoperability and compatibility requirements. With support from TempDev’s team of NextGen experts, you can easily integrate the EHR system with the Practice Management (PM) and other third-party systems to support seamless functionality across clinical and administrative tasks.  

How TempDev Can Help You Implement Your EHR 

TempDev’s NextGen consultants, developers, and trainers support your EHR and PM needs whether you’re looking to implement, switch, or even upgrade your current system. TempDev offers custom dashboards, revenue cycle consulting, automation, and workflow redesign. You'll find the tools and resources you need, with top tips and tricks that will ensure your success. 

Contact us here or call us at 888.TEMP.DEV to get the help you need to implement your NextGen EHR system.