It's old news that hospitals' and health systems' EMR implementation has been a bumpy ride. Physicians struggle with the usability of the systems, and patients report feeling like the computer stands in the way of direct communication, lowering their satisfaction.
Regardless, meaningful use incentives are spurring EMR adoption. Even when providers have implemented an EMR, many are not using the system to its full capabilities, suggests a report from Logicalis US, an IT solutions provider.
Here are eight mistakes hospitals make in EMRs that prohibit the IT system's optimization.
1. Lack of complete patient records. Hospitals still often store patient data in multiple, separate systems, but interoperability between systems or storing data in one single location would provide a consolidated, comprehensive view of patient data.
2. Lack of patient images. While EMRs store basic patient data, they have yet to easily integrate patient images beyond radiology, suggests Logicalis. Implementing a system to congregate patient images in other specialties, such as cardiology and wound care, could help the EMR become more effective.
3. Not following best practices. Clinicians are still untrained on EMR best practices and instead tend to learn as they go or by watching other personnel. Logicalis suggests bringing in a third party to evaluate clinical and financial workflows to enhance clinician use of IT and resources.
4. Not considering disaster recovery. If an EMR fails, health systems can face large overhead issues, including business disruption, lost revenue and patient safety concerns. Providers should have procedures set in place in the event of an EMR outage.
5. Not attesting to meaningful use stage 2. Though meaningful use attestation has been granted "flexibility," providers should still be proactive about meeting the stage 2 requirements.
6. Lack of mobility. Offering physicians the capability to securely access EMRs on personal devices could help integrate the systems into physician workflow. Healthcare organizations need to ensure they have HIPAA-compliant and secure measures in place and an up-to-date personal device usage policy to keep sensitive information safe.
7. Not preparing for ICD-10. ICD-10, too, has been delayed another year, but healthcare providers could use the extra time to ensure preparedness. To prepare for the transition, Logicalis suggests organizations provide assessments, planning, communication and training for providers to be better prepared when Oct. 1, 2015 rolls around.
8. Lack of analytics. EMRs collect large amounts of data, but the data often sit in storage. Providers need to access this data and analyze it to help improve patient safety, contain costs and improve clinical outcomes.
More articles on EMRs:
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The patchwork path to EHR communications in healthcare
4 questions to ask before replacing an EHR