Top 8 Features of Primary Care EMR/EHR Software

Primary care is the first visit to a healthcare provider when a patient has a health problem or concern. It is the day-to-day healthcare service given by the healthcare provider. The healthcare provider is the touchpoint for the patient in providing the treatment. These services can be provided by primary care physicians, family physicians, or general practitioners.

Primary care practice is important because it is the first place where people go for treatment and health advice. It offers benefits like improved patient satisfaction through regular monitoring, assessment, medication management, and routine checkups.

Primary care Software is important for managing and preventing chronic diseases like heart disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and asthma. It includes health education, vaccinations, screenings, monitoring, and checkups, which helps save money for patients.

Early intervention can significantly reduce the risk of complications, chronic diseases, hospital visits, and related expenses. Older people have a higher chance of getting chronic diseases. To reduce this risk, patients need to receive primary care.

Top Features of Primary Care EHR Software-

The Features of Primary care Software are-

1. Built-in templates that meet the diverse needs of your primary care patients

The templates are structured forms that help healthcare providers collect and organize patient information. This saves time in typing and documenting, allowing more time to interact and consult with patients.

Here are some inbuilt templates for Primary care EMR Software-

• Comprehensive Soap Notes

The software provides customizable templates for soap notes in which healthcare providers mention details during patient encounters. It includes chief complaints, vitals, medications, allergies, and the next follow-up date. These notes can be taken electronically. Hence, it reduces the number of manual entries and improves accuracy as compared to handwritten ones.

• Detailed Intake Template

In a Primary Care Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system in the United States, an intake template is a pre-designed digital form used to collect essential patient information during the initial patient encounter. As the patient’s check-in process is completed, the healthcare staff mentions subjective and objective notes, such as problems, allergies, and vitals (Blood pressure, weight, temperature), in the software.

2. E-prescribing that connects with multiple pharmacies

During encounters, providers can create an e-prescription through the software. The provider can send the e-prescription directly to the pharmacy. This saves the patient time and money. It eliminates the need for the patient to search for a pharmacy, travel, and deal with paperwork. 

With the pharmacy integrations, we can send e-prescriptions to any network pharmacies. Providers can send prescriptions to patient’s preferred pharmacies. Order is placed from the software it will be displayed in the application of the pharmacy at the same time.

To prevent service delays, the provider can use the software to set reminders and alerts for the pharmacy. E-prescription makes things better by providing all the necessary details about medication and lab orders. This helps pharmacies work faster and makes customers happier.

3. Lab and Diagnostics module

This module helps the provider access the patient’s clinical health information and place an order in the preferred network pharmacy. Based on the patient’s subjective, objective, and assessment notes, the provider can create orders for diagnostics tests and reports. The order will be placed online. The module assists the provider in tracking the status of the order. This includes the test completion and results date.

After getting the result, it will automatically appear in the provider’s software. It gives a clear idea of the patient’s health condition. This module provides access to the provider to communicate with laboratories, pharmacies, and other healthcare specialists regarding the patient’s treatment. Information from the provider and pharmacy will be secure because It follows HIPAA rules. Patients’ lab and diagnostic records can be shared with other healthcare providers if integrated.

4. Inbound & outbound Referral Management

Primary care EMR/EHR software uses referrals to ensure patients get necessary treatments from specialists or other healthcare providers. There are two types of referral such as

Outbound referral-

The primary care provider examines the patient. Determine that the patient needs treatment from a specialist. Based on the reason for the referral, the patient’s medical history, the timing of their examination, and any test results. The provider selects a specialist and refers through an application. The specialist receives the request and appointment of the patient booked with a specialist. After the examination of the patient, the specialist shares the report with the primary care provider.

Inbound referral-

In this, the specialist receives a referral request from the primary care provider by fax. The specialist creates the entry into the software, and the practice staff books the appointment. After the examination of the patient, the specialist shares the report with the primary care provider.

5. Patient Management-

In terms of handling patient information efficiently, it is essential to have a patient management feature in primary care electronic medical records (EMR). Patient management contains patient demographics, medical history, appointments, and billing details within a unified platform. Having a patient management feature in EMR is beneficial in a number of ways, such as streamlining administrative tasks, enabling practitioners to schedule appointments easily, managing patient records, and tracking billing and insurance information. Additionally, Patient Management supports communication with patients through secure portals, promoting engagement and adherence to treatment plans.

Ultimately, having a patient management feature in EMR benefits in optimizing primary care workflows, reducing administrative burdens, and enhancing the delivery of patient-centered care in a coordinated and efficient manner.

6. Practice Management-

This feature includes functionalities designed to help healthcare providers and administrative staff manage their day-to-day operations effectively. It includes registration of new patients, appointment scheduling, billing for claims, and claim submission.

It helps to register new patients electronically by collecting their personal information, insurance details, and medical history. Healthcare providers can choose a time, date, and length for an appointment with a patient using this feature. Also, staff members can book appointments according to the availability of the specialist. This feature helps providers encounter patients, create soap notes, create superbills, and create lab orders.

Once the patient’s appointment is set, they will receive notifications and reminders from the software through email, text, etc. The software checks the patient’s insurance, eligibility for treatment, and the amount the patient needs to pay (Co-pay and deductibles). This feature also helps in billing by suggesting accurate diagnosis and procedural codes for the services.

The HIPAA-compliant software ensures patient information is safe and won’t be leaked during communication between healthcare providers and patients.

7. Get reimbursed faster with simplified, efficient ICD-10 codes-

This feature helps doctors get paid fast and accurately by the patient’s insurance company for the services they give. It’s an essential part of primary care software. ICD-10 stands for International Classification of Diseases of 10th revision. This is the coding methodology that classifies the diagnosis and procedural codes in the healthcare system.

The ICD-10 code lookup tool ensures that the healthcare provider accurately assigns diagnostic and procedural codes. This feature automatically captures the reimbursement charges based on the mentioned services and procedures.

This software helps submit claims electronically, saving time compared to paper submissions. This software tracks unpaid or denied claims from insurance companies, improving follow-up for those claims.

8. Security-

This is a key feature in primary care software. It keeps the patient’s medical record safe and prevents misuse if there is a breach. This includes personal details like name, age, address, gender, contact information, email ID, and health records. Health records consist of soap notes, diseases, and medical history.HIPAA compliance software guarantees the protection of patients’ health information.

HIPAA Rule-

Any PHI of a patient has to be accessed with permission level to avoid/prevent breaching of data.

HIPAA Technical Regulations-

Access Control-Set Permission Level

As the PHI is sensitive, access control should be introduced to prevent misuse of data. The finance department person can only see account information for treatment, not personal or health information.

• Audit control-

Whatever activities are performed with the stored information by any user should be audited/recorded.

• Person Validation-

To access information, the person should be validated first.

• Integrity-

Access should not be given to anyone other than the provider to alter/change the data within the software.

• Data Transmission Security-

The data transmission should be secure.

These features of primary care software help primary care practices improve their efficiency, streamline workflows, and increase productivity.

Frequently Asked Questions