March 30, 2024
Although the concept of technological integration in science and medicine existed even decades ago, its practical implementation could have been faster. However, the previously reluctant healthcare sector is now eager to integrate technology that can drive successful health outcomes for institutions and patients alike.
One such example can be found in the integration of electronic health record systems in the US. Electronic health record systems were initiated as an unfinished version of the EMR we know today. This system was a paper-based medical record storage system, referred to as "problem-oriented" medical records.
The first electronic health record systems were integrated by The Mayo Clinic in Rochester in conjunction with the US government. During that period, EHR systems were too expensive and only utilized by larger healthcare institutions in partnership with the government.
It was in the 1980s that EHRs became more widely used among clinics and smaller hospitals. However, these early EHR systems performed the menial task of storing patient information electronically.
The electronic health record systems implemented in the early 2000s, as an incentivized approach by the US government to make digitization of clinical documentation more common, were a more robust version of the earlier versions of EHR.
The simplification of the concept of electronic health records is in its basic definition, which describes EHRs as electronic storage of clinical data. Although this is the primary function of EHR systems today, these systems help improve patient care through both passive and active functions.
Healthcare providers adopt electronic health record technology in order to maintain crucial patient information in a digital system that provides powerful data security. This information includes patient demographics, family and medical histories, laboratory results, imaging, and previous diagnosis information.
Additionally, the system can also store insurance information to rid patients of the lengthy form-filling processes at healthcare facilities.
Electronic health records systems are also known to streamline clinical processes and align workflows for healthcare providers, but we shall discuss these later on.
Electronic health record systems (EHR) and electronic medical records (EMR) have often been used synonymously with each other. However, these two systems are significantly different.
Electronic health records software allows providers to maintain, interpret, and share relevant clinical data across other health systems. Electronic health record systems are, therefore, a more advanced version of electronic medical records. In practice and between organizations, communication with EHR systems is a key defining feature of EHR systems.
Consequently, electronic medical records, like EHRs, also possess the capability of storing and maintaining data. However, the system is not equipped to share this information across other platforms or health systems.
Thus, the terms EHR and EMR cannot be used interchangeably.
In order to create a robust, scalable solution that stores data efficiently and in large quantities, concept designers envisioned an AI and cloud-based EHR system.
This intuitive technology stores substantial clinical information on an AI and cloud storage system instead of the practice’s internal storage system.
AI plus Cloud-based EHR systems allow medical professionals to exercise the system’s data mining capabilities in order to access patient data and identify patterns in clinical data. This can not only help in research, but data mining can also help identify possible instances of drug interactions to help medical professionals perfect the way healthcare is delivered and patient care is provided.
There are several ways in which AI and cloud-based EHRs can benefit patient care. These include:
EHR software allows practices to access clinical documentation and patient records easily. While this improves clinical workflows in practice settings, the accessibility of an organizational display of essential patient information helps physicians analyze relevant patient histories, imaging, and laboratory reports to diagnose effectively and efficiently.
Additionally, with comprehensive Quality Initiative Reporting features, such as those offered by talkEHR, patients can prescribe drugs in a foolproof manner, avoiding possible instances of drug interactions.
Furthermore, most EHR systems are powerful, information-rich technologies that store a magnanimous amount of healthcare data on an AI and cloud platform. This data can be utilized by researchers for the purpose of identifying effective therapeutic strategies for complex cases, further improving the health outcomes for these patients.
Several EHR software products provide additional analytics features for a comprehensive overview of practice performance. Keeping a periodic check on an organization's or practice's performance can help not only in identifying financial goals but also in making more informed decisions for a beneficial outcome.
Healthcare analytics contribute to aligning data gathered through the organization's integrated EHR system to display key performance indicators that can contribute to practice success. Additionally, analytics features can help identify areas where performance is lacking and offer strategic advice to benefit not only the practice, but also boost patient satisfaction rates for a more well-rounded health experience.
Electronic health records (EHR) technology ensures impeccable data entry by limiting front desk time for a patient and maintaining accurate patient records efficiently. EHR platforms possess data correction features. These ensure errors in data are identified and rectified timely to prevent any medical mishaps.
Through this feature, healthcare professionals can ensure patients receive accurate data that can help treat them effectively and accurately. Errors in patient record maintenance can not only cause delayed diagnosis and treatment complications, but can also result in costly lawsuits for the practice.
Efficiency is the core component of an EHR system. It can help minimize time and energy spent manually entering medical forms by providing a robust AI and cloud-based EHR platform where practice staff can secure large amounts of hospital data.
Additionally, the efficiency of AI and cloud-based EHRs helps minimize errors and reduce administrative costs by acting as a powerful technological aid in clinical operations. Electronic health record systems are therefore essential to streamline a practice’s clinical, administrative, and financial outcomes, as well as propagate successful outcomes for the practice.
Efficiency in patient record maintenance means patients will no longer endure extensive practice protocols for patient registration and entry. This makes the practice experience more convenient and seamless, improving patient satisfaction rates substantially.
Interoperability is the ability of a system to interact with other health systems and organizations for the purpose of data sharing and effective communication. Interoperable EHR systems allow healthcare professionals to share valuable patient information with other organizations and health systems for the purpose of case referral or discussion.
This can help not only in devising successful treatment plans for complex cases but can also reduce the time spent shifting a patient from one healthcare organization to another during case referrals.
Additionally, interoperability helps keep this transfer of data secure. Since patient information is confidential and subject to several possibilities of cyber breaches, interoperability helps reduce the chances of cyber security threats by creating a safe channel for effective data transfer.
AI and Cloud-based electronic health records offer the additional feature of displaying comprehensive patient data, including previous drug history or e-prescription history, on the AI and cloud’s interface.
Additionally, the feature helps patients request a restock of certain drugs when they run out. Healthcare physicians can analyze patient histories through the EHR platform and process restock requests for patients as needed.
Finally, e-prescription information helps healthcare physicians identify which drugs a patient has been taking recently and can therefore monitor future prescriptions accordingly to minimize drug reactions.
Scalability in cloud-based EHR platforms is an essential feature that helps practices utilize the benefits of the technology according to their specific needs. Whether it is single-specialty practices or multi-specialty healthcare facilities spanning several locations, EHR platforms can be scaled accurately to fit each practice's unique needs.
EHR platforms are, however, not a one-size-fits-all solution. Each technology available on the market performs a separate set of tasks and possesses a unique set of features. Although scalable, it is essential to integrate EHR platforms that best fit your practice’s needs.
Accessibility means practice owners and physicians can edit and maintain physicians' schedules from inside and outside the practice. This is a specifically helpful feature from a practice management aspect.
Furthermore, accessibility allows patients an easy display of crucial patient data that can be readily managed, edited, shared, and securely maintained for optimum healthcare delivery.
Additionally, organizational displays help researchers in larger healthcare organizations utilize these features to conduct medical research on complex health issues. Readily available data helps researchers identify patterns in the data to formulate new modes of treatment that can help cure complex health cases without complications.
AI and Cloud-based EHR systems like the ones offered by talkEHR have built-in specialty-specific templates for a more streamlined protocol of patient record keeping. Healthcare physicians can choose from a variety of templates to maintain data and choose optimum displays of information so that they can review everything they need at a glance.
This helps improve diagnosis and treatment planning for patients and allows for an exemplary mode of data interpretation.
Any EHR technology, once integrated, comes with its own customer support system that can help remove technical difficulties and inefficiencies for a more seamless user experience. When choosing an EHR solution, prioritizing strong customer support that influences user-friendliness is also imperative. talkEHR offers 24/7 customer support in addition to its user-friendly EHR platform. This allows physicians and staff members to receive adequate training and education support for smooth onboarding to the platform. Additionally, this can eliminate the chances of staff resistance, allowing for efficient technology that can create successful practice outcomes.
AI and Cloud-based systems that are HIPAA-compliant can help maintain security standards for technologies that tackle electronic patient health information (EPHI).
Therefore, robust customer support, interoperability, and HIPAA compliance are essential characteristics that physicians must factor in before choosing an AI and cloud-based EHR platform for their practice.
Alternatively, although there are several benefits to integrating AI and cloud-based electronic health record solutions, healthcare professionals and practice owners may face certain challenges during the implementation process. These include:
Although AI and cloud-based electronic health records vendors offer a myriad of EHR technologies at reasonable rates, certain customization options can be increasingly costly. Therefore, often healthcare providers and practice owners will need to pay for storage increases, hardware upgrades, and other customization options in addition to the upfront cost of technology integration.
When practices opt for AI and cloud-based EHR systems, a majority of the back office operations become the AI and cloud provider’s responsibility. Therefore, the efficiency of the system depends on the efficiency of the AI and cloud.
Information backup, data security, and the quick restart of the technology after technical difficulties fall under the domain of the AI and cloud provider. Additionally, valuable medical information regarding the practice is in the possession of the AI and cloud provider. This information, as mentioned earlier, is highly valuable and can cause reputational damage if leaked.
Ideally, it is imperative to choose an AI and cloud provider that maintains robust system security and a trustworthy back office team to ensure medical data protection for the practice.
As with most technologies, shifting to a third-party vendor to leverage AI and cloud-based EHRs can often come with a certain level of staff resistance. If practice staff is used to interacting with the in-house EHR platform, shifting to a different technology can often be time-consuming, tedious, and temporarily disrupt practice workflow.
To negate this consequence, opt for a solution that prioritizes user-friendliness. Additionally, allowing staff members adequate time and space to familiarize themselves with the practice system also helps them learn the technology’s mechanisms. AI and Cloud providers can provide comprehensive system support as well as adequate education, training, and learning tools to help healthcare providers and their staff onboard the new technology seamlessly.
Healthcare data is undoubtedly the most vulnerable to cyberattacks. Big data in healthcare is, therefore, one of the top five types of data that experience regular cyber breaches. AI and Cloud-based EHR systems, unfortunately, are no exception to this.
Although web-based platforms are more vulnerable to data breaches than AI and cloud-based platforms, cyberattacks can affect both web-based and AI and cloud-based EHR systems. However, practice owners can take certain measures, like inquiring about data security measures or technology accreditations, to ensure AI and cloud providers offer the most secure version of their technology for the practice.
Often, secure AI and cloud-based EHR systems strictly follow HIPAA guidelines for electronic patient health information to ensure safe and secure maintenance and transfer of data from their platform to other health systems.
Companies like TalkEHR offer AI and cloud-based solutions that are HIPAA-compliant and, therefore, can be an excellent choice when opting for a robust AI and cloud-based EHR system.
Ideally, the process of choosing the right AI and cloud-based EHR technology is a learning curve for practice owners and healthcare physicians. Although leveraging AI and cloud-based EHR technology offers a myriad of benefits, each solution will possess both good and bad qualities. Choosing the correct combination of both is key to ensuring clinical success with cloud-based EHRs.
According to sources, the United States market for cloud-based electronic health records systems expects a CAGR of 11.58% between 2022 and 2027. This is a result of the digitization of the healthcare sector as well as the surge in demand for AI and cloud-based EHR systems and the integration of AI and Machine Learning in healthcare technology.
Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly contributed to the increased use of EHR software. Physicians today comprehend the benefits and potential of utilizing EHR technology to boost clinical workflows in a way that can improve patient care.
Furthermore, the US government has been taking initiatives to propel the growth of EHR systems and boost their utility in the healthcare sector. In June 2021, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced the establishment of a Public Health Informatics and Technology Workforce Development Program valued at USD 80 million. The aim is to substantiate the standing of US public health informatics and data science.
Lastly, the US Defense Department has also integrated an EHR system called the Military Health GENESIS for 19000 new users in Texas. This will allow for opportunities for growth in EHR integration in the market.
It is, therefore, safe to assume that electronic health record technology is bound to increase in usage frequency to benefit the storage, maintenance, and sharing of big data in healthcare.
AI and Cloud-based electronic health record solutions are a game changer for any health practice today. Not only can they streamline practice administrative and clinical operations, but by providing robust patient data through a secure platform that also offers data sharing, EHRs can benefit clinical care delivery substantially.
Companies like talkEHR offer multiple options for AI and cloud-based EHR systems based on the specialty and scale of the practice. Since each practice is different and has a separate set of needs, talkEHR’s EHR experts can help choose the right solution for the practice. Therefore, productivity and profitability are inevitable with talkEHR’s wide variety of solutions.
