Electronic medical records, or EMRs, are being touted as the
way of the future for physicians keeping patient records. They would cut down
on the amount of paper used and storage space required for traditional
hard-copy records. The government is even sponsoring a pilot project that would
give higher Medicare payments to doctors that converted to an EMR system.
As good as it sounds; getting physicians to change to electronic medical
records is slow going. Two of the biggest reasons that physicians are resisting
the change to EMR software are workflow disruption and the cost of training on
a new system.
For many, it’s not just about the money, although the financial investment in
EMR software can be substantial. It’s about behavior modification. People like
to do things the way they’ve always done them, without significant disruption.
However, in order to make things better for customers, you have to sometimes
find a better way of doing things.
This is where the customization of EMR software comes in. Rather than having to
adapt to EMR software, you can make the software adapt to you. Finding EMR
software that allows extensive customization will help make the transition to
electronic medical records as smooth as possible.
Breaking old habits
The idea of learning something new isn’t always a pleasant one, especially if
you’ve grown accustomed to a certain way of doing things. This is especially
true in offices with multiple doctors, where each physician has a different way
of working, and trying to compromise is only slightly harder than pulling teeth
without anesthetic.
Customization in EMR software cost can
make it easier to adopt the new system. You can customize the software to work
the way that you’re used to working. That way, the time spent on learning the
new software is significantly reduced, which enables a smooth transition to a
new way of record-keeping. The more familiar a software is to users, the less
time they’ll have to spend learning it.
Why you need multiple customizations
in EMR software
You’ve already been asked to change the way you’ve always done things, so it’s
not too much to ask that your software grows and changes with you as you find
new, more efficient ways of doing things. EMR software that allows for multiple
customizations not only makes it easier for multi-doctor clinics to adopt, but
it also enables you to continue to change the configuration as you learn what
works and what doesn’t.
If you’re part of a multi-doctor clinic, look for EMR software that allows
multiple customizations. That way, each doctor can continue keeping records the
way he’s most accustomed to, which will help ease your clinic’s transition to
using electronic medical records.
Not all EMR software allows this kind of customization. Some will charge you
each time you need to customize the software, where others won’t allow for
customization at all. Rather than the software fitting into the flow of your
practice, you have to disrupt everybody’s rhythm to accommodate the software.
For a quick and painless transition to
electronic medical records, make sure you find EMR software that offers all the
customization options that you need. Whether you’re a solo practitioner or just
one of many doctors in a health clinic, customization in EMR software will
allow you to get your practice running just the way it was in a matter of
weeks, rather than months.
