What's New In Digital Health

Although not always recognized as such, electronic medical records (EMRs) are an essential component in providing patients with personalized, comprehensive care. This article looks to discuss the advantages of this methodology, along with potential reasons for the lagging rate of adoption, as well as obstacles that must be overcome for the success of this system.

Electronic medical records (EMR) provide a wide range of advantages for hospitals, clinics, medical professionals, and their patients alike. Some of the most  impactful benefits that electronic medical records systems (EMR) offer are:

• Enhanced clinical workflows & efficiency (quicker, easier access to patient data)
• Strengthened privacy through secure electronic storage and sharing methods
• Centralized location to access patient health information

• Optimized organization (no physical records to store & manage)

One of the leading concerns behind low rates of adoption is lack of system interoperability. For example, only 30% of US hospitals are able to "find, send, and receive electronic medical records for patients who receive care somewhere else".¹ Without system interoperability, medical systems are not able to communicate with one another, and workflows are slowed as healthcare professionals must manually transfer information to other sites of care.

The Future Of EMR Systems
In order for electronic medical records to secure (EMR) their place in the medical world as a recognized keystone to the efficacy of the system, the software must have widespread usage, provide meaningful data, and operate as part of a greater network. By following these three steps, EMRs will have the ability to be analyzed by advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to provide proactive care to patients. Through the use of these technologies, EMRs have the power to offer:

• Seamless communication and information transfers with patients, labs, pharmacies, and other medical authorities

• Organized data leading to proactive care & accurate diagnoses (reduced medical errors) and thus a safer level of care

• Reduced costs through enhanced safety, decreased desk work and limited unnecessary in-clinic visits

Dermatology EMR platforms such as DermEngine have overcome these challenges through offering EMR/PMS integration (thus not disrupting previous patient data systems), as well as through providing valuable data, action history, and information valuable for audits. 

In addition to being an excellent tool for practice management and performance evaluation, it can also be useful for analyzing the number of actions (diagnoses) by clinic location or doctor, as well as top diagnoses over time. This expands the system to offer a greater level of precision and analytics not seen in previous dermatology software while optimizing workflows and allowing professionals to focus on their patients.

In conclusion, through the use of Cloud EMR solutions, medical professionals are able to access valuable health data in a centralized location without the reliance on physical documents. Electronic health records (EHR)  have great potential to reduce the number of misdiagnoses, while optimizing workflows and centralizing information. However, it will first have to overcome interoperability and implementation challenges. Despite these setbacks, it is clear that electronic medical records (EMR) are well on their way to becoming a central part of the medical system.

-The MetaOptima Team

Are you interested in a dermatology EMR system that integrates with your current software? Find out how DermEngine can enhance your system today.

Sources:

1. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-medicalrecords-sharing/few-u-s-hospitals-can-fully-share-electronic-medical-records-idUSKCN1C72UV