6 Common EHR Integration Use Cases in Modern Healthcare

If you are using standard healthcare software for your practice, then you must be facing a lot of issues that are related to your workflow’s alignment with the software, right?

That is exactly the problem that many healthcare practices are facing amidst the transition from traditional healthcare practices to digital healthcare practices. In our recent efforts to solve the problems of the healthcare industry with the help of technology, one problem very clearly stood out. Any guesses what they are?

Well, the problem related to data isolation, system integration, or connectivity between your system still remains. This problem starts piling up when you have multiple software systems in your practice. You see when you use different systems to carry out different functions, each software creates a separate data repository. These data repositories create more data silos, workflow inefficiencies, and clinical frustrations among healthcare professionals.

This is one of the reasons why many healthcare practices are shifting towards custom EHR software. However, this custom EHR software development or custom healthcare software development does not necessarily solve the data transfer or exchange problem. So what can be done?

Well, you see, this is where EHR integration comes into the picture, and in this modern age of healthcare delivery, they are becoming a major cornerstone in the healthcare landscape.

In this blog, we will explore the EHR integration examples in modern healthcare and how these EHR integration applications can transform your healthcare practices. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Patient Registration & Demographics Synchronization

The first and foremost challenge that many healthcare organizations have been facing is maintaining consistent patient records across all of their systems. The reason why it becomes a problem is because it does not bring everyone on the same page, meaning the care team members simply can’t find one base for care continuity. 

This increases the chances of record duplication, which not only impacts the care quality but also creates complications in the billing process. And the time wasted on manual data entry further delays the care.

Such delays impact patient safety, and fragmented identity creation is possible. This is where a custom EHR integration solution can be your savior to automate data flow right from the moment a patient is registered.

With Master Patient Index (MPI) integration, your system can be a part of a centralized database within your system that assigns a unique identifier to identify each patient. This eliminates the fragmented identity concerns, and it also becomes easy to find the data accurately and quickly for patient data exchange.

• Real-Time Vs. Batch Synchronization Considerations

One of the major requirements for EHR integration is the availability of data for reference and the maintenance of consistency and continuity in care delivery. For this, you basically get two choices, real-time synchronization and batch synchronization.

Now, there’s a fine line difference between the two, and depending on your needs, you should be able to make the right choice. You see, in real-time synchronization, your system aims to maintain data consistency across the systems. Meaning that once the data is updated in your system, it automatically gets updated in all the systems, maintaining consistency and can be exceptional for care continuity.

On the other hand, batch synchronization processes data in set intervals, offering a trade-off between immediacy and efficiency. So, which one should you choose?

Well, real-time synchronization is suitable for systems requiring continuous and up-to-date information updates for real-time analytics and incident management. Meanwhile, batch synchronization is better suited for large datasets, backups, or scenarios where immediate consistency is not needed at the minute.

For this, bidirectional updates between registration systems and downstream applications are required so that a change in one system is reflected in other connected systems and platforms.

But how does this help your healthcare practice?

You see, with this, there is a reduction in record duplication, and time is saved for front desk and Health Information Managers. Long story short, it improves patient matching and safety during care delivery with accuracy and continuity.

Clinical Data Exchange Between Care Settings

Another healthcare integration scenario where patient data exchange comes in xhandy is an exchange of data between different care settings. Oftentimes, patients move on from one healthcare facility to another in search of quality; in fact, it is the primary care providers who suggest a specialist for references, right?

In such cases, there is a high chance of fragmented care, and maintaining the care continuum is extremely important. Moreover, there is a chance that during the transition of care, there might be some care gaps that might be left behind, and the major problem of delayed access to critical clinical information can lead to inappropriate and incomplete care.

Also, manual processes for information requests and fulfillment can be tiring and even more time-consuming. That is why, as we discussed earlier, choosing the right integration approach for clinical data exchange is important to harness the benefits of EHR integration applications.

What are the clinical data integrations that can help in patient data exchange?

Critical patient information like patient discharge summaries can be automated and distributed across systems, including patient EHR and other systems in the network. Along with that, lab and diagnostic result sharing between disparate healthcare systems or organizations can be initiated. And similar care can be provided for medication reconciliation across care settings. However, ensure that this data exchange aligns with the referral management workflows so that everything is aligned and transparency is initiated.

• Implementation Considerations

One of the considerations for implementing EHR integration is using standardized data formats. These standards make it easier for your systems to easily understand the data and make sense of it for accurate reporting.

Also, alert management should be implemented for incoming clinical data so that everybody is aware of any updates that are made to patient health records. Along with that, special consideration must be given to consent management to ensure transparency and patient privacy is ensured.

Laboratory & Diagnostic Imaging Integration

Laboratory and diagnostic imaging integration has become one of the necessities in the modern-day healthcare landscape and for good reasons. You see, traditionally, labs and imaging data were paper-backed and required manual data entry. These practices often resulted in delayed result delivery, further delaying the next procedures.

Some of the most important integrations for streamlined diagnostics are following interoperability standards, data normalization standards, and robust integration with other systems. These systems vary from Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) and Radiology Information Systems (RIS) into a single platform to pharmacies that allow accurate medication management and prescriptions.

However, for LIS/RIS integration, a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) is required so that they can update the digitally made entry for the results, which can be shared across multiple systems in real-time. These specific integrations help fasten the delivery of results and make it easier for the system in discrete data mapping, which further streamlines the entire process.

You can also include a critical result notification system where everyone in the care team gets instantly notified about the labs or radiology once updated in the system. These advanced capabilities enabled by EHR integration upgrade your system and help you access crucial information almost instantly.

Revenue Cycle & Financial Systems Integration

The healthcare delivery is different, and the financial aspect of the care delivery is completely different. This is the reason why the healthcare industry is considered to be one of the most complicated healthcare systems in the world. There is the claims submission procedure, then CPT codes, then verification, program-specific, and the list goes on. 

Due to these varied processes, there is a financial disconnect in healthcare operations, but how? You see, manual data entry in the disparate system takes a long time. Moreover, without access to information, the claim submission can be delayed and inaccurate.

While dealing with these problems can already be tiring, the limited visibility into the denials and their clinical context can, at times, be frustrating. Moreover, the financial impact it has on practice can make it difficult for the practice to survive. So what can be done? Well, let’s explore.

• Integration Touchpoints Across the Revenue Cycle

Integration touchpoints are nothing but a specific point where two independent applications connect to exchange information. On the basis of this, you can implement charge capture automation, where your system will automatically record and process patient services or procedures for billing in healthcare.

These capture automation from clinical documentation can speed up administrative things like eligibility verification and prior authorization workflows. Also, initiating EHR integration touch points for claims scrubbing and submission can further help you streamline the financial aspects of your practice.

• Denial Management with Clinical Context

Another problem that many healthcare providers have been dealing with is denial management. You see, many healthcare practices using a disparate system often have nearly no updates if the claim is denied, and by the time denial management is initiated, the reimbursement is delayed. 

However, this is where the EHR integration application comes in full display. Access to information can equip your healthcare system with all the necessary things for analytics and monitoring. This way, finding the problem in denial management becomes much easier, and cross-system financial performance dashboards will make the analysis very easy.

This way, revenue leakage identification is possible, and payer performance comparisons can also be easily done.

Population Health & Care Management Integration

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, managing public health has always been a topic of concern and conversation. While every practice does its best to manage care effectively, there are certain data challenges in initiating population health initiatives.

For instance, patient data is often fragmented and spread across multiple care settings. This provides very limited visibility into social determinants of health, which is why a holistic view of patient health is not available. So, just in case any initiative is started, tracking health outcomes becomes difficult, and interventions to improve health are also sublimed.

That is why clinical data integration is required from multiple sources for effective population health. Along with that, this integration can also be used for cost and resource utilization metrics to streamline this process further.

To get a holistic view of the patient’s health, you can establish integration SDoH from community partners so that you can start personalized care initiatives on a large scale.

• Risk Stratification Engines & Care Management Tools

Furthermore, to mitigate the risks, you can implement ACO or Accountable Care Organizations data integration architecture so that you can connect diverse data sources like EHRs, Labs, and patient information to get a holistic view of patient information.

These risk stratification engines with care management tools can simplify public health reporting and create a roadmap for the success of your practice.

Patient Engagement & Digital Front Door Integration

As healthcare progressed, the role of data has become the epicenter for not just care delivery but also for finances and others. Taking it a step ahead, data can also be used to enhance patient adherence and provide holistic care during the entire care episode. 

However, lack of access to data often leads to fragmented patient experience. In simple terms, the patients are not able to find all the information about their health in one place. And the use of healthcare systems further worsens the experiences. You see, they have access to multiple portals and follow inconsistent interfaces. 

This disjoined scheduling and pre-visit workflows rather than giving clarity about their health simply confuse them more. However, with EHR integration into your custom healthcare software and the integration of telehealth capabilities, you can easily fill in the communication gaps between the patient and the care team.

On top of that, you also cover the major problem of transparency by giving them instant access to their health information. To further elevate the patient experience, you can create a unified patient portal with single sign-on. In short, just one thing will help you access their complete health information. 

If you’re providing remote patient monitoring, then real-time health vitals can be tracked to give a complete view of their care journey.

• Advanced Capabilities Enabled Through Integration

You can also make your system smart with advanced capabilities through integration. You see, your system basically has comprehensive data about the patient, which can be analyzed to provide personalized care recommendations to the provider. Furthermore, the self-service tools powered by integrated clinical and administrative data can give you more insights into the functioning of your practice.

Frequently Asked Questions