Many health care providers have found that electronic health records (EHRs) help improve medical practice management by increasing practice efficiencies and cost savings.
Electronic Health Records Create More Efficient Practices
One national survey of physicians offers important evidence:
79% of providers report that with an EHR, their practice functions more efficiently
82% report that sending prescriptions electronically (e-prescribing) saves time
68% of providers see their EHR as an asset with recruiting physicians
75% receive lab results faster
70% report enhances in data confidentiality
Savings are primarily attributed to automating several time-consuming paper-driven and labor-intensive tasks, such as:
A) reduced transcription costs
B) reduced chart pull, storage, and re-filing costs
C) improved and more accurate reimbursement coding with improved documentation for highly compensated codes
D) reduced medical errors through better access to patient data and error prevention alerts
E) improved patient health/quality of care through better disease management and patient education
EHR-enabled medical practices report:
Improved medical practice management through integrated scheduling systems that link appointments directly to progress notes, automate coding, and managed claims.
Time savings with easier centralized chart management, condition-specific queries, and other shortcuts
There is enhanced communication among clinicians, labs, and health plans by
A) easy access to patient information from anywhere;
B) tracking electronic messages to staff, other clinicians, hospitals, labs, etc.;
C) automated formulary checks by health plans;
D) order and receipt of lab tests and diagnostic images; and
E) links to public health systems such as registries and communicable disease databases
Affect On Revenue: Automating Clinical Documentation And Orders
Enhances the ability to meet important regulation requirements, such as Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI), through alerts that notify physicians to complete key regulatory data elements.
Reduces the amounts of time and resources needed for manual charge entry resulting in more accurate billing and reduction in lost charges.
Reduces charge lag days and vendor or insurance denials associated with late filing.
Charge review edits alert physicians if a test can be performed only at a certain frequency.
Alerts prompting providers to obtain Advance Beneficiary Notice, minimizing claim denials and lost charges related to Medicare procedures performed without Advance Beneficiary Notice.
Electronic Health Records Reduce Paperwork
Administrative tasks, like filling out forms and processing billing requests, represent a significant percentage of health care costs. EHRs increase practice efficiencies by streamlining tasks, significantly decreasing costs.
EHRs also deliver more information in other directions. EHRs can be programmed for easy or even automatic delivery of information that needs to be shared with public health agencies or for the purpose of quality measurement.
Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing)
Written paper prescriptions may be lost or misread. Using electronic prescribing (e-prescribing), doctors communicate directly with the pharmacy. The e-prescribing system can save lives (by reducing medication errors and checking for drug interactions), lower costs, and improve care. It is more convenient, cheaper for doctors and pharmacies, and safer for patients. E-prescribing is an important, high-visibility component of progress in health information exchange.
Electronic Health Records Reduce Duplication of Testing
EHRs contain all of a patient’s health information in one place. So, it is less likely that providers will have to spend time ordering—and reviewing the results of—unnecessary or duplicate tests and medical procedures. Less utilization means fewer costs.
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