Successfully implementing an Electronic Health Record (EHR) at your healthcare practice is a critical task. One that can create many risks if performed incorrectly by the wrong vendor. An EHR implementation is intended to increase interoperability, confidentiality, availability, and integrity of patient health information at your healthcare practice. A successful implementation and integration will allow your practice to leverage data from across the continuum of care to improve patient diagnoses and treatment.

A successful EHR implementation process will benefit your practice by:

• Improving clinical decision-making with high-quality, complete data insights.
• Enhancing communication across the continuum of care through interoperability between multiple sources of clinical information, in a secure environment.
• Improving patient outcomes by proactively addressing their needs through increased clinical insights.
• Reducing costs through workflows that are streamlined and automated, decreasing the likelihood of errors or duplicative services.
• Reducing staff burnout and improving communication with EHR functionality such as timestamps on entries, alerts for follow-up care needs, and documentation compliance all in one system.

Successfully implementing an EHR at your healthcare practice requires thorough planning prior to your anticipated launch date. Below are a few critical steps for you to consider when getting started.

• Create awareness among key stakeholders on the EHR’s benefits and implications for their workflows.
• Conduct an analysis on whether your current infrastructure is compatible with the system you are looking to implement (e.g., will it integrate well without causing downtime).
• Carefully plan what data needs to be migrated over first, to reduce disruption in provider workflows. Different types of data need varying amounts of preparation before they can be migrated to new software.

As your healthcare practice implements your EHR, remember to:

• Establish internal communication channels between facilities that have already implemented a solution, so there’s no disruption in workflow processes when facilities begin sharing patient health records.
• Ensure that all staff members utilizing the EHR are properly trained.
• Establish parameters for measuring integration success levels such as increased revenue, reduced adverse events or errors, or fewer complaints from patients/families.

A successful EHR implementation process is vital to eliminating workflow setbacks within your healthcare practice, and it is essential to be prepared and plan ahead. If you want to learn more about our successful EHR implementation process and why iPatientCare’s EHR is best suited for your practice, contact our experts today.