Navigating Your Emr System Plan

The time to adopt a dynamic EMR system in your medical practice is now

. The Federal Government, under the auspices of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, has decided to promote the overall adoption of electronic medical records software in a particularly crafty way - with cash. Yes, because of the stimulus package, doctors have been offered huge Medicare (up to $44000) and Medicaid (up to $64000) incentives to "meaningfully use" approved EMR software systems. Free government payments is a good motivator, and the industry has gained importance as a result.

The stimulus plan is a three way positive, as it clearly is a boon for the EMR software industry, but also doctor-users and the healthcare industry itself, as it lurches slowly toward some type of standard for electronic medical records. What many practitioners do not understand, however, is that EMR software isn't even close to the same as most productivity applications. Instead, an efficient EMR software adoption process must feature precise planning to ensure true effectiveness.

Fact: the majority of electronic medical records software developers would love to provide you with an EMR system and then make a run for it. And frankly, many companies actually WILL do this. But the representative of a real product with real training and support programs realizes that creating a plan for adoption is critical to not only your use of an electronic medical records program, but to potential future business.

When looking for a new EMR software system, an adoption plan must feature the following:

Workflow Constructed For Efficiency First - Properly using an EMR system is far from just a plug and play solution that can be added in a day. In fact, to properly gain the advantages that make the software one of the best returns on investment in the software industry necessitates that the manner in which your staff does business changes seriously in some cases. Assistants, as an example, may require more time to prepare electronic medical records before appointments. Paper will no longer be an issue in most cases, of course, and with that fact in hand, some practices find the surprise a tough nut to crack. A knowledgeable developer will be ready for this.

Quality Training Is Critical - It makes no difference how many sales presentations you've seen boasting of the incredible ease of use of your new EMR system. When all is said and done, you and your entire staff must have a very good working knowledge of the system if your adoption is going to work. This is where training matters, of course. The best training plan ensures that the software is embraced completely from the get-go, which ensures high learning speed. Another aspect of a training program is determining whether the instruction is to be initiated in the practice, outside the practice or remotely via the Internet. Each has its advantages and drawbacks, and an experienced developer can help you with this.

Mentorship - Developing an "EMR Mentor" is a boon to adoption and training process. This Mentor should be trusted to have the most current knowledge of the system, and be able to help staff members that are having difficulties, or who are unused to using computers in the practice. Determining which staff member can be a task, but also can save the practice thousands of dollars in support and training costs by eliminating the need to get on the phone with the consultant whenever a bump in the road comes along.

It is crucial for any small office looking to add EMR to their practice that this is not simply an application. A properly adopted electronic medical record system is just that: a system where software and staff team up to create efficiencies, and in the end, return on investment.

by: Carly Wilkinson

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