Improvement of Patient Care-Clinical decision support rules are a requirement of EHR in an effort to help improve patient care through alerts based on certain key indicators in a patient's health records.

Reduction in Drug-Drug and Drug-Allergy Interactions-Drug-drug and drug-allergy interaction checks are mandatory for those providers practicing meaningful use. With interconnected e-prescribing, medication lists, and drug allergy monitoring, doctors can prevent interactions through a collective effort.

Decreased Costs-Being able to show clinical necessity based on more closely defined clinical quality measures can help garner more dollars from treatments. And because certified software must live up to a specific standard, purchasing under a certified label ensures that the piece of software you choose has passed governmental guidelines and functions as a complete EHR.

Improved Portability of Patient Records - The certification process is laying the framework for an interoperative national standard where patient records can be transferred easily—and really become the patient's information, not the doctor's. This means that when a patient who sees multiple providers is admitted to the ER, all of their chart notes, x-rays, medication lists, allergies, and lab tests will be readily available because inter-provider electronic exchange of patient information has been realized. This access to patient records can decrease the time to diagnosis, duplicated lab tests, and potential drug interactions, just to name a few.

Return on Investment

A recent study by the Bergen Medical Alliance revealed the productivity of four doctors before and after the implementation of an EHR system. All the doctors worked exactly the same number of hours during the study, and after EHR implementation, they were able to see from four to eight more patients per day. Further, expenses were reduced because of reductions in the need for manpower and transcription, while revenues increased through timely and more accurate billing. EHR software should automatically remind you when there are errors, so they can be addressed immediately and not hold up claims processing.

Other ROI considerations are found in patient satisfaction (a smooth-running practice always makes an impression); improved patient outcomes; the ability to easily and quickly comply with insurance requests, audits, and responses to legal matters (reduced risk mitigation); accurate documentation; and greatly improved efficiencies in the general administration of the practice.

Ultimately, and as I mentioned in the beginning of the article, it comes down to time. The more time automating processing can free up, the more patients you can see and the better care you can provide them. How you spend your time is at the heart of any successful practice.

Getting It Right

It's important to recognize that while many software companies state that they provide the ";right" features, they don't necessarily get those features right. That may seem like semantics, but the deeper meaning here is found in the software company's approach to achieving a given automated task. Just because a software company states an automated solution is included in its capabilities doesn't mean the method by which that solution is provided is ideal—and it can have the inverse effect of creating more work for the chiropractor and/or staff behind the scenes.

Change isn't coming; it's here. Doctors that embrace this change will empower their practices and find that integrating a complete, certified EHR practice management system into a practice is the bridge to the efficiency and flow they need to not only improve patient care, but to compete in the healthcare industry as well.

Indeed, the investment in an EHR system is a critical one, and you should go beyond the surface when conducting your research. Ensure that training, support, the right features, mobility, certification, and the commitment towards future innovation are all a part of your total solution.

---

Robert Moberg is a seasoned and tenured business professional with a solid combination of corporate and entrepreneurial business experience. As CEO, he has helped establish ChiroTouch (www.chirotouch.com) not only as a trailblazer in the software industry within the chiropractic community, but also as a stalwart leader in the profession. His commitment to chiropractic is not only evident in the innovations ChiroTouch brings practicing doctors, but also in the countless ways he has led the charge in giving back to the profession. From supporting state and national associations, to chiropractic colleges, to the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, Robert works tirelessly to help raise awareness of chiropractic and the benefits only the profession can provide.