The Importance of Custom EHR Solutions for Healthcare Organizations

As the healthcare industry slowly transitions towards a completely digital landscape, there are some evident changes in its ecosystem that have now become a norm. One of those changes was the introduction of electronic health records (EHR).

Today, electronic health records have become the epicenter for healthcare delivery, and healthcare practice is increasingly dependent on these EHR systems to not only deliver care but also carry out day-to-day administrative activities.

However, some studies suggest the growing dissatisfaction of healthcare providers with electronic health records systems. You see, as every healthcare practice functions and works in a different and unique manner, it becomes hard for a generic or off-the-sheld EHR system to align itself with the practice’s unique workflow and even meet their specific needs if it’s a specialty practice.

This has given rise to a new trend in the healthcare landscape, where healthcare providers are choosing custom EHR software development, to meet their unique needs. While this has started as a new trend, given the growth trajectory of custom EHR solutions, it is all set to be a norm in the coming few years.

But amidst the crowd of tried and tested electronic health records systems, why has custom EHR solutions gained such huge momentum in the healthcare IT landscape?

Well, in this blog, let’s try to find the answer to this along with exploring the potential of custom EHR software and its importance for healthcare practices.

So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Tailored to Specific Needs

The major benefit of custom EHR solutions is that they can be specially curated to perform specific tasks with separate functionalities as per the needs and requirements of the clinic. Here is how a custom EHR software can be tailored to the specific needs of a clinic:

1. Customization to Workflow: You see, each and every healthcare practice has a specific workflow that works perfectly for their staff to deliver care. In such cases, with the introduction of a custom EHR solution, the processes can be streamlined, and the providers and staff members do not have to struggle with manual administrative burdens.

2. Specific Features and Functionality: If you are a specialty practice, then you need some specific features to perform certain care activities. For example, an orthopedic would require a medical image-centric dashboard or a cardiology specialty with heart vitals-centric. To meet these unique needs and requirements, the custom EHR solution can be curated accordingly with the inclusion of specific features and functionalities. This would not only enhance patient care activities but also help providers in getting the desired outcomes from the patients.

3. Scalability and Flexibility: Your practice is bound to grow with time, and with that, your software should be capable of matching the growing data and features. While off-the-shelf EHR software might not be able to meet their needs, its scalability features combined with its flexibility in customization can help them adapt to changes quickly and comfortably, without much hassle.

Enhanced Data Security & Privacy

Healthcare institutions are widely adopting healthcare IT solutions, and this has invited new challenges in terms of data security and privacy. But a custom EHR solution can be a solution to that as well; let’s see how:

1. Robust Security Measures: Custom EHR software development can include robust security measures with advanced encryption and access control features. Where encryption makes the data hard to decipher, and access control eliminates the chances of unauthorized access. This way, your custom EHR solution ensures the protection of sensitive patient information.

2. HIPAA Compliance: Your electronic health records will deal mainly with sensitive information about patients, which can compromise their fundamental rights. HIPAA compliance is required to ensure they are rightly used and safe. And with custom EHR software development, the solution can be set in compliance with the specific sets of rules and requirements. Furthermore, it would reduce the risk of data breaches and fines if there is a mishap.

3. Data Integrity and Accuracy: Custom EHR solutions, with their unique approach, can significantly improve data quality, and even consistency can be maintained. This can enhance the decision-making process, turning your care delivery into a value-added, data-backed care delivery.

Improved Patient Care

A custom EHR software development approach is often associated with quality of care, and implementing a custom EHR successfully can improve patient care by a mile. Let’s see how:

1. Better Patient Outcomes: With data becoming the epicenter for care delivery, clinical decisions can be made effectively without much time spent on diagnosis, etc. Furthermore, allowing patients to take control of their health leads to proactive decision-making with improved patient engagement and satisfaction rates.

2. Efficient Patient Management: A customizable EHR streamlines workflows by aligning itself with clinical and administrative activities. Furthermore, automation will reduce administrative tasks, leading to improved care coordination and communication between patients and providers for better patient care practices.

Increased Operational Efficiency

While the clinical aspects are the core of any healthcare, operations play a crucial role in keeping the practice running and profitable. And as discussed earlier, let’s now see how a custom EHR software development can contribute to enhancing the operational efficiency of your clinic:

1. Automated Workflows: Automated features in your custom EHR solution help reduce the need for manual task entry to achieve operational efficiency. On top of that, integration and other features reduce, if not eliminate, the margin of human errors, leading to efficiency and increased productivity for administrative staff.

2. Real-time Data Access: Timely decision-making can reduce the time to care and improve response time for care delivery. This is made possible with real-time data access that promotes collaboration between healthcare providers to provide better and enhanced care.

Long-term Cost Effectiveness

The cost of custom EHR solutions is slightly higher than that of off-the-shelf EHR solutions. However, if you are looking for healthcare IT solutions like electronic health records, then a custom EHR solution can bring long-term cost-effectiveness to your practice.

1. Reduced Operational Costs: Lower administrative costs and overhead expenses can be significantly reduced by successfully implementing a custom EHR. Features like automation and streamlined workflows are some of the aspects that help improve revenue and enhance the financial performance of your practice.

2. Increased Revenue: Again, automation in data sharing can simplify billing procedures for your custom EHR solution. This, when coupled with coding accuracy, can not only enhance your financial performance but also bring transparency to your code of conduct of business, improving patient satisfaction and retention rate.

Frequently Asked Questions