Electronic Medical Records Tips

Keeping paper files in a doctor's office requires a lot of space and a lot of staff time -- time to locate patient records, especially in large offices. Some medical practices are switching to electronic medical records (EMRs), or digital electronic records, which eliminates those problems and leads to more-effective communication and greater patient care efficiency.

Implementation

• Moving from a paper-based system to an electronic system all at once is a big job, one that comes with a high chance of your running into problems. However, switching things over more slowly and methodically can make the transition smoother. A slower implementation helps the doctor's office to spread out the costs and will not tie down too many staff members during the process. The office can start populating the EMR system with new patient records, and gradually add current and older patient records.

Research

• Different companies offer EMR software that allows an office to switch from paper to electronic records. Different companies offer different features. Each doctor's office must decide which features are important to them and which ones they can do without. For instance, some software offers free upgrades, while others may require a fee for upgrading. Some of the software also offers different licensing options, dictating who will have access to the patient records.

Old-School Doctors

• Some doctors, especially old-school doctors, may not feel comfortable trusting a computer network to safely store patient records. These doctors prefer to have a piece of paper in hand and know it is locked safely away when not in use. If medical offices implement these EMRs before the doctors are comfortable with the change, then the doctors will be reluctant to adopt them and the EMR system is less likely to work. Attending workshops or having a company come in for a demonstration can help set the minds of the old-school doctors at ease about the transition.

Training

• One of the most important aspects of using EMRs is training the doctors, nurses and other staff to use the software. A doctor's office must assign someone a leadership position who understands the process and can answer the questions of the rest of the staff. This person may attend a training session with the software company so he can more-easily answer all questions. The team leader can train the rest of the staff that will be using the system, or someone from the software company may come in and hold a seminar for the entire staff.