The covid-19 phase recently may have apparent consequences of several business losses, but it was not proven entirely true. However, it has brought certain innovative trends in many professional fields since professionals necessarily had to run the practice and the arrival of multiple digital solutions catered to the demand. Healthcare institutions have also advanced their practice by experiencing unprecedented trends to run the practice and deliver care efficiently.
Electronic Health/Medical Records are important, playing their part as effective solutions to store vast patient data that were done in print before. The healthcare industry’s reliance on technology for years shows that the system supports a cost-effective way and proves an efficient practice.
You will find in this guide detailed information on how EHR software is delivering its services to organizations and how it will look in the future with its progressive pace.
What is an EHR in healthcare?
An EHR is an electronic version encompassing the various functionalities of recording electronic patient information. It provides:
- healthcare professionals with efficient care and diagnosis treatments,
- enabling more accurate diagnosis,
- care delivery,
- improved patient safety,
- enhanced treatment outcomes.
Maintained by the healthcare provider over time, these records include the key administrative and clinical data regarding patient taking care. The data contains demographics, progress notes, vital signs, medications, problems, immunizations, past medical history, radiology reports, and laboratory data.
The benefits of a new EHR system
By using EHRs in healthcare, the provider provides quality care to their patient and has automated several tasks with its efficient usage. Moreover, these records enable physicians to exchange patient information remotely to ensure that they accurately maintain their records.
Another pros of these software is that they are highly customizable, and the professionals can adjust these according to the current requirements of their medical coding services.
Below are mentioned some of the reliable benefits of the EHR system:
Better quality of care
Rather than simply relying on trial-and-error methods, physicians are more benefited as EHR provides health analytics to recognize patterns, predict diagnosis, and recommend potential treatment options for patients.
More accurate patient information
Storing records electronically eliminates the risk of misplacement, theft, damage, or alteration of sensitive patient data, as is likely in hand-written documents. Providers can update and share patient data in real time, ensuring records’ accuracy even if the patient seeks care from another provider. They can easily access the patient’s past medical history in that case.
Interoperationability
An EHR system offering interoperation ability is critical when a patient sees a specialist with a chronic condition like diabetes or plans on transitioning to a home healthcare environment for recuperation.
Increased efficiency
A built-in template in EHR systems can record patient issues, and professionals get considerable help from these templates to better the practice. These templates are tailored and customizable so physicians can fit them to their needs.
Increase in revenue
EHR systems also provide healthcare with specific tools to manage billing and ensure payment. Professionals can automatically scrub claims for expected errors or mistakes leading to rejections. Moreover, EHR allows physicians to record every aspect of a patient’s visit as evidence to determine individual claims.
What do the future EHRs look like with AI artificial intelligence?
The quick evolution of EHRs in healthcare makes these systems user-friendly and ensures the integration of even more healthcare technologies like telehealth, cardiac motion imaging, intelligent health systems, and artificial intelligence AI..
The use of innovative digital trends in EHR, like blockchain and natural language processing, is evidence that physicians will make more accurate and quality decisions regarding healthcare practice in the future. Moreover, AI can analyze large patient data accurately and quickly, so physicians are more confident in making decisions faster.
Grand View Research reports that the global EHR Market was valued at $28.1 billion in 2022, and experts expect it to reach $38.5 billion by 2030, rising at a CAGR of 4%.
Emerging technologies and IT trends in EHR
The increasing healthcare industry demand makes EHRs evolve according to the practice’s demands and needs. On the other hand, healthcare organizations must also get involved with novel technology trends to ensure the software is more secure, efficient, and meets the healthcare practice’s needs.
As the dental healthcare landscape continually evolves, this synergy ensures that EHRs, in collaboration with a specialized dental billing company, remain at the vanguard of efficiency, security, and bespoke functionality, adeptly meeting the intricate needs of modern dental practices.
Some of these future trends are followed in the discussion:
Interoperability
In the future of EHR technology, interoperability is the most significant trend. Healthcare providers faced the difficulty of sharing large patient data across different organizations and providers in the past. However, interoperability made it easier as communication and seamless patient data exchange between organizations has become much more convenient.
Moreover, medical providers can access comprehensive patient data in real-time, regardless of the time and location. So they can better care while accessing the history of the patient’s condition and ensure a more accurate diagnosis, coordination, and progressive patient results.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) conducted a survey, states that 93% of the hospitals in the United States reported that they could potentially exchange patient information across different providers outside their hospital, indicating a significant increase from 57% from 2014.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning
EHR platforms use AI algorithms to analyze enormous volumes of patient data to find patterns, foresee potential health problems, and create custom treatment plans. Healthcare professionals can use machine learning algorithms to help with disease diagnosis, treatment recommendations, and even drug interaction warnings. The use of AI within EHR platforms has much potential to enhance patient care and lower medical mistakes.
The capability of AI in disease diagnosis was proved by a study published in the journal Nature Medicine. With an area within the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) of 0.94 compared to human physicians’ AUC-ROC of 0.91, the researchers’ AI algorithm excelled in identifying disorders from medical imaging. This is an illustration of how AI can completely change EHR platforms.
Patient Engagement
Features that encourage self-management of chronic illnesses, like tracking vital signs, medication adherence, and lifestyle changes, will be incorporated into EHR systems. EHR systems seek to increase patient happiness, increase treatment adherence, and promote a cooperative patient-provider relationship through promoting patient participation.
According to a survey conducted by the American Medical Association (AMA), 92% of patients think accessing medical information is crucial for managing their health. This emphasizes how crucial patient engagement tools are in EHR platforms.
Mobile Integration
Mobile integration makes Point-of-care documentation possible, which also helps increase data input accuracy and efficiency while lowering administrative responsibilities. Additionally, it enables remote patient monitoring and virtual consultations for telehealth services. Healthcare delivery could be revolutionized by the seamless integration of mobile technologies with EHR systems making it more easy and accessible for both patients and doctors.
The global mobile health (mHealth) market is anticipated to reach $236.0 billion in value by 2026, exceeding a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31.3% from 2021 to 2026, according to a Statista analysis. This demonstrates how mobile technology, especially mobile EHR systems, is becoming more prevalent and widely used in healthcare.
Cybersecurity
EHR vendors invest significantly in encryption, authentication methods, and other cutting-edge security measures to safeguard patient data from unauthorized access or breaches. Maintaining patient privacy and data integrity also depends on careful adherence to legal requirements like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
In 2021, the healthcare sector’s average cost of a data breach was $9.23 million, according to research done by the Ponemon Institute. This emphasizes the necessity for strong cybersecurity safeguards in EHR platforms and the financial and reputational implications of data breaches.
Conclusion
EHR technologies have a bright future and have the power to change how healthcare is delivered completely. In the future, rising technologies such as interoperability, AI and machine learning, patient engagement, mobile integration, and cybersecurity will influence how EHR systems develop.
By adopting these trends, healthcare practitioners can improve clinical decision-making, increase care coordination, give patients more control over their healthcare, and protect the privacy and security of patient data. To fully use the capabilities of EHR platforms and give patients the best treatment possible, healthcare professionals and EHR vendors must keep up with these new trends as technology develops.
