Posted: May 16th, 2022

Hospital electronic medical records

Hospital electronic medical records

Multi-platform usability
The EMR should be usable by healthcare providers and patients across a number of platforms. In physicians’ offices, providers will possibly access these records from tablets or computers. When they send information to other health professionals, they may utilize mobile gadgets. Similarly, patients are likely to utilize mobile devices like smartphones when they access their own data (Freundlich, Wanderer & Ehrenfeld, 2017). Therefore, the EMR should stay accessible from all these diverse platforms, and they should remain as instinctive and user-friendly as possible.
Privacy and security
The EMR should protect its information from digital catastrophes. This means that it should have all the necessary measures to safeguard patients from information leaks. The first and most observable way to achieve that is by maintaining full HIPAA compliance. The system should also adhere to state-mandated Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) processes. Additionally, the system must possess safeguards against violations during communication.
Technology setup
This entails the internal network connections, software setup, power supply solutions, and connectivity to the external world. Having the necessary technology support for EMR is key to the system being usable when the switch is flipped. Whereas there are basically under the influence of information technology service, there is the need to involve clinical departments as well.
Ease of use
For healthcare providers, dealing with drugs and patients can be time consuming, without systems and processes making things more intricate. Therefore, the EMR should make the entire process of treatment simpler, not more difficult. In order to know if the EMR is easy to use, providers can try out the demo version or road test several known functions that help in their day to day routine.
Provider-hosted vs. cloud-based EMR
Provider-hosted EMR systems need the organization to operate and sustain their own servers. Cloud-based EMR systems mean that the organization does not have servers or hardware to maintain in the hospital besides the computers (Zeng-Treitler et al., 2016). Cloud-based systems allow the hospital to cut expenditures by outsourcing IT maintenance and technical support.
Customization
The ability to change and modify the EMR is usually crucial for the implementation success. There is the need for the EMR to have certain features that are internally modifiable or configurable. This will make it possible to change the system to suit the preferences of the hospital. Notably, the EMR should not be able to be altered in ways that may compromise security standards.
Interoperability
According to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), the EMR should have the ability to transfer the information of patients to other information systems. E-prescribing and ordering laboratory tests and results are helpful characteristics that will also assist in attaining the highest possible composite score.
Software design
The most vital-and noticeable-consideration to make is about the software itself. The EMR system’s user interface will be greatly responsible for the success or failure of assimilation. According to Pantaleoni et al (2015), the software should be instinctive to utilize and simple to navigate. The hospital personnel will be looking at the program for hours every day, so it is vital that the shape, color and placement of information is usable.
Rights to records
The EMR should allow healthcare providers to share the medical records. According to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, and the Recovery Act sections on health information technology, patients possess the right to get the information in their own records. This means that the records of a patient from one provider must be able to move flawlessly to another one, and be readily understandable and usable.
Certification
In order to earn motivation fees under the meaningful use program, physicians, and hospitals must utilize EMRs that are certified. EMRs get certification after passing tests of their dependability, security, functionality, and compliance with the standards.
Meaningful use
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requires hospitals to make clear linkages between EMRs meaningful use and its functionality-and the standards related to those objectives (Buntin, Sachin & David, 2010). For instance, one HHS objective is for healthcare organizations, physicians, and other clinicians to maintain lists of drugs prescribed to their patients. To attain this objective, the hospitals and clinicians must have their EMRs at least 1 drug entry, for over 80% of their patients.
Communication
The EMR should have the ability to communicate with different sources outside the practice. This consideration is vital to ensure the hospital is getting the whole functionality of EMR features. The system should have patient portals that allow patients to access their lab results, medication records, and educational resources.
Information design
Patient information presentation has a direct impact on clinical decision making. Clinical decision making is basically the product of the incorporation and interpretation of numerous pieces of patient information and clinical knowledge. Therefore, the EMR should have the ability to display complete and consistent patient information. Instinctively designed displays can offer instant clinical access to the wide variety of information needed for patient care without considerable increase in cognitive effort or a decrease in system usability (Pantaleoni et al., 2015).
Data reporting
The EMR should allow the hospital to leverage its data to identify focus areas for reviews. Actionable intelligence from the data bolsters decision-making that is better. The objective is for the data to demonstrate that the hospital is meeting all criteria, correctly related to a certain diagnosis.
Capabilities and features
Healthcare providers are mobile whereas billing and operations functions are based in the office. Therefore, the EMR system should efficiently bolster both the hospital’s back-office operations (for example, scheduling, billing etc) and clinical operations (i.e. delivering steady quality care and complete documentation at the care point).

References
Buntin, M. B., Sachin, H. J. & David, B. (2010). Health Information Technology: Laying the
Infrastructure for National Health Reform. Health Affairs, 29 (6), 1214-19.
Freundlich, R. E., Wanderer, J. P., & Ehrenfeld, J. M. (2017). Building Big Datasets: Do Not
Forget the EMR. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 124(4), 1367.
Pantaleoni, J. L., Stevens, L. A., Mailes, E. S., Goad, B. A., & Longhurst, C. A. (2015).
Successful physician training program for large scale EMR implementation. Applied clinical informatics, 6(01), 80-95.
Zeng-Treitler, Q., Gibson, B., Hill, B., Butler, J., Christensen, C., Redd, D., & Bray, B.
(2016). The effect of simulated narratives that leverage EMR data on shared decision-making: a pilot study. BMC research notes, 9(1), 359.

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