Improving Clinical Workflow with EHR Implementation

EHR systems have the powerful ability to improve clinical workflow on so many levels. It is also important to understand how EHR can work to improve a healthcare practice for example. Before the EHR implementation project, it is important to develop a workflow plan. Whether you are implementing this system for the first time or replacing an old system, the leaders in the practice should revise their workflow plan and always take into account the new technology. EHR has an impact on many aspects of the healthcare setting, among which we can mention: the good management of messaging, scheduling patients, rooming and checking patients in, conducting exams, renewing medications and eventually checking out patients.

It is critical to consider all aspects of the healthcare organization on an electronic level. An efficiently managed clinical workflow will help maximizing efficiency on many levels, and improve the quality of healthcare provided to patients. Moreover, it helps improving overall safety, and of course keeping chaos at bay within the workflow. EHR can also be used efficiently to improve healthcare coordination. Healthcare members of a facility need to communicate efficiently with one another regarding the care offered to a patient. The team must be able to eliminate the treatments that are unnecessary or duplicate testing with the right use of an EHR system. This will in turn help saving precious resources such as time and money, but also eliminate the overall burden put on the entire healthcare team and the patient himself.

With EHR it is possible to automatize the communication process. With the implementation of a powerful health information exchange, the healthcare providers who are in separate locations/settings will be able to collaborate efficiently by accessing patient healthcare data through the system. One of the most important roles of an EHR system is to code the patient’s clinical status (the clinical documentation process). Through optimized system use the healthcare providers can improve the patient care quality and the of course the efficiency of the entire healthcare setting. Using the different EHR functionalities will help making the entire clinical documentation process even more efficient, which in turn leads to a better workflow for the entire setting.