DermEngine Blog

Dermatology EMR Software: The Power Of Integration

Written by The DermEngine Team | Nov 30, 2018 9:54:53 PM

EMR software solutions have penetrated nearly every healthcare sector, with more than 80% of medical professionals reporting using it within their practice.1 In spite of this great advancement, one key challenge remains: the vast majority of these systems cannot efficiently transfer data between one another. Known as interoperability, this criteria is proving to be a key factor for medical professionals determining in whether an EMR software will be able to meet their professional needs.

The Status Of Interoperability
A relatively new term, interoperability is a natural consequence to the recent expansion in digital healthcare technologies. For example, a patient may have their basic medical records, dermoscopic images from a skin check for melanoma, the pathology results, and notes from a referred case all stored in separate practices. In order for a patient to receive comprehensive, evidence-based care the diagnosing medical professional must have access to all relevant medical records. Since research demonstrates that 1,744 patient deaths are a result of communication errors over the span of five years and $1.7 billion in malpractice costs it is clear that systems must become connected if care is to be fully optimized.2

In contrast, when achieved, interoperable EMR software can be revolutionary to healthcare. Connected systems that truly “understand” one another results in comprehensive, detailed patient records and greater opportunity for deeper evidence-based care. Additionally, with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) this centralized big data can be documented utilized towards creating a personalized care plan for that patient with the support of predictive analytics for preventative, proactive care.

Undoubtedly a monumental step in healthcare, interoperability is not the final solution for seamless data communications. It is important to note that this term only constitutes the ability for systems to work together- the medical professional still has to take the initiative to transfer these files to the requested practice or expert. As a result, this will lead to the unavoidable risk of doctors failing to transfer information even though they have the ability to! This is why visionary healthcare systems are taking this process a step further with integrative services.

Integration: The Next Step In Connected Healthcare
Integration extends beyond the simple ability for healthcare software to transfer data; rather, systems are able to automatically synchronize and transfer information without prompt, resulting in all data being updated in real-time across platforms. This is such a key step because it removes the burden of initiative by the medical professional for sending data to allow them to focus on patient care rather than administrative tasks.

The latest example of this initiative is the integration of popular dermatology EMR software. DermEngine, an intelligent dermatology software for the imaging, documentation, and analysis of skin cancer images now offers integration with another two of the world’s most popular EMR systems: Cerner and Epic.  A milestone in visionary healthcare, dermatologists now have the opportunity to utilize the largest brand names in healthcare while gaining access to the latest tools in artificial intelligence (AI) for supported clinical decisions for an entirely upgraded practice experience. Through integration, systems have the opportunity to build on each other's strengths rather than fail on a single weakness.

Conclusion
As electronic medical record software continues to become the new norm in healthcare, the need for interoperability will only continue to increase due to the need for accessible patient data. Visionary practices are already going a step further to adopt integrative software to have all patient information from across multiple platforms synchronized in real-time for a centralized and convenient experience that has never before been achieved.

-The MetaOptima Team


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Sources:

  1. https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/market-emr-still-strong
  2. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com