What is Outpatient EHR?

An outpatient EHR is a digital patient chart system designed for outpatient clinics or small physician practices. Physicians can organize their work better by recording their office and surgical center visits efficiently. Doctors or clinicians use these charts to document patient interactions, prescriptions, and diagnoses. Patients can also log in to the Patient Portal and access their medical information.

Types of EHR systems:

EHR systems take different forms depending on the scope, setting, duration of the data viability, and more. They include standalone EHRs, which are mostly used by ambulatory providers, and hospital EHRs, designed for digitizing acute care in hospitals and large physician organizations. Outpatient EHRs are also intended to manage the daily tasks of an outpatient clinician. Other types include post-acute care EHRs and behavioral health EHRs.

History of Outpatient EHR

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, passed in 2009, birthed the EHR chart system. Originally a basic digital version of patient chart records, the system has undergone significant tech ramp-ups to accommodate different expert needs. An outpatient EHR has evolved into a customized outpatient records system that is interoperable with other systems. Consultants like TempDev have also created curated tools that enhance the ultimate user experience.

Why an Outpatient EHR is Important

The chart system enhances customer interactions. A patient's medical information is at their disposal through a patient portal, making the process of reviewing their clinical information and any other tasks much easier. Clinicians can also quickly access any necessary information without spending hours scrolling. A powerful system backed by high-end software with premium tools streamlines a provider's workflow. The ability to access a patient's history with certain medications also steers a better follow-up with their diagnostics and outcomes.

Drawbacks of outpatient EHR

One major setback of using these charts can lie with the software you choose. If chosen poorly, practices can run into multiple technical hurdles, resulting in long downtimes, poor records, and data inaccessibility. Underperforming software will make outpatient EHR acutely ineffective because physicians need access to this information immediately and can cause both massive clinical and financial impacts. However, engaging qualified consultants like TempDev can eliminate many of these setbacks.