Electronic health record systems are by no means a new technology. They do, however, represent a technology that is quickly making its way into nearly every doctor’s office and healthcare environment here in the United States and abroad. No matter how small an operation may be, EHRs are being implemented to streamline patient care and improve the accuracy of diagnoses and health outcomes.
According to the editors at ZDNet, a media outlet dedicated to keeping business technology professionals in touch with the latest IT trends, “within a year or so, we’ll find almost universal EHR implemented within all facets of the healthcare industry.”
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a race to get on board. For those healthcare facilities that have not yet brought an EHR system online, the ZDNet editors caution that implementations shouldn’t be carried out too quickly. “Healthcare providers will need to take care to do their due diligence in choosing EHR systems, or they may find themselves needing to rip-and-replace a few years down the road,” they said.
So for skilled nursing facilities, long-term acute care hospitals, in-patient rehabilitation hospitals and acute-care hospitals whose overriding goal is to provide the best care possible, fumbling around with an EHR system that doesn’t fit, isn’t an option. Therefore, it’s imperative to devote a fair amount of time to conduct up-front research before purchasing a system.
As a certified EHR module, we here at WoundRounds would like to help others in that endeavor. Therefore, we will post a blog in the upcoming week that addresses the criteria involved with choosing an EHR system. Stay tuned.
