Electronic Medical Records / Chartless
Reasons for an EMR:
Reason #1: Save Money Currently Spent on Office Overhead
Think about it: implementing an electronic medical records system can eliminate costs related to transcriptions, paper charts and even the cost of paper itself! If you don't have charts to pull, there is no cost for employees pulling and filing the charts, there is no looking for and transferring charts and there is no lost or destroyed charts.
You wouldn't have to waste time telephoning patients with their lab / radiology reports (they can view them online) and your patients can fill out all your required forms online before they even come in! Your patients have the ability to make and modify their appointment schedules online, thereby minimizing staff expense for scheduling and you're able to minimize the number of telephone lines required in the office because much of the office/patient interaction will occur via the Internet.
Reason #2: Increase Reimbursement for Services You Perform
Having an EMR system in place allows you to code properly, allowing you also to code / chart the highest level that the EMR will permit. Imagine having a system in place that could assist you in defending yourself in the event of a lawsuit, that offers comprehensive documentation which allows you to justify higher fees and which prevents you from performing medical services without billing for them. You can avoid lost superbills and avoid failure to code for ancillary services performed. It allows you to bill for email consultations with patients, allows you to participate in medical research studies (if you wish to do so) and allows you to have medical data which will be valuable to research companies.
Reason #3: Assist with Electronic Billing
Your medical records are already in an electronic and thereby easy to transmit format. As a result, billing is already correlated with the medical records, and in a format appropriate for electronic billing!
Reason #4: Enhance Your Reputation in the Veterinary Medical Community
What is one thing that you can implement right away that would allow you to have fewer complications and treatment errors, allow you to provide more comprehensive documentation to my Referral Sources and allow you to provide Referral Reports in a more timely fashion? An Electronic Medical Record system! You will be seen as a leader in technology and you'll be able to provide information produced in your office concerning your patients to other veterinarians electronically, thus increasing their confidence in you.
Reason #5: Allow You to Have More Free Time.
You heard right. An EMR would allow you to complete your documentation in a shorter period of time, once accustomed to using it and allow you to operate your office with fewer staff members, thus saving time on human resources issues relating to employees.
Reason #6: Allow You to Connect Directly withLaboratory, Radiology and Other Telemedicine Facilities.
You can allow lab results to automatically populate your patient charts and to have abnormal laboratory results flagged automatically, alerting you to issues which need to be addressed immediately.
Reason #7: Allow You to Incorporate Findings from ‘Ancillary’ Equipment, Such as ‘Scopes’, EKG, Ultrasound etc., and Images Directly into Your Patient Charts.
Imagine being able to minimize or eliminate duplication of documentation from other medical equipment. Now, you can allow images and someday full video to be part of the medical documentation on your patients.
Reason #8: Allow You to Possibly Someday Connect Directly with Local and Online Pharmacies
We see EMR's in the future allowing you to be certain that the prescription that you are providing to your patient is available in the pharmacy, is within your patient's insurance plan’s formulary, and affordable for your patient. They will also be able to allow the Pharmacy to have earlier notification of the prescription so that your patient will have a shorter wait once they enter the pharmacy.
Reason #9: Assist You with Compliance and Privacy Issues
With an effective EMR strategy, you can maintain confidentiality of your patient records, aAutomatically maintain multiple levels of security, access, etc. to their records and minimize the exposure due to charts left inadvertently in accessible areas.
Reason #10: Allow You to Provide Better Patient Care
Isn't this what's it's all about? Providing the best care possible? You'll be able to prevent dosage errors, handwriting misrecognition, medication conflict with allergies, medication conflict with other medications, medication conflict with medical conditions and medication conflict with familial or genetic (breed and species) history.
It will allow you to treat patients according to current clinical guidelines by providing appropriate printed instructions for the client, appropriate to species, breed, age and sex. You can also allow clients to participate online with the chronic illness care of their pets, including keeping the clients apprised of their current medical conditions
Reason #11: Keep in Touch with Your Clients via the Internet
How convenient would it be to allow your clients to view their pet's medical history online, allow them to view their pet's lab / radiology, etc. results online and to allow them to schedule appointments online. Think of the manpower you'll save!
Reason #12: Teach Your Clients about their Pet's Medical Conditions
You can offer language, breed, and species appropriate handouts to clients as they leave the office and even offer online tutorials to your clients concerning their pet's medical conditions.
Reason #13: Continue Your Medical Education by Teaching You
You're always learning and always growing as a health care provider. Now, with an EMR, you can view prompts or protocols someday during documentation of a patient visit, which will allow you to understand what the veterinary medical community feels is most appropriate in treating various conditions. Your system can also notify you of new medications, dosages, complications, etc.
Reason #14: Malpractice Exposure
No one like to think about the possibility of a lawsuit, so an EMR can help you lower the exposure due to misdiagnosis, due to treating outside of current clinical guidelines, due to lost charts and due to improper documentation. In the event of a drug recall, using an EMR will allow you to immediately (and automatically) contact each of your clients who have a pet currently taking a recalled medication.
Reason #16: Marketability of Practice
In the event that you wish to hire another veterinarian or sell your practice, having an EMR and having all of your patient data on an EMR can make the transition for a new veterinarian easier, and therefore may make your veterinary practice more valuable.
Reason #17: Interconnectivity between Veterinarians and Hospitals
An effective EMR system lets you communicate more freely and accurately with other veterinarians through the interconnectivity allowed in various EMRs.