The Benefits of an EMR System: The Intangibles

Direct savings and hidden savings can quantified. It may be difficult, but with some attention to detail, the savings and benefits can be added up and recognized. However, there many benefits that cannot be translated into a cash value but, in the end, are just as real and just as important.

Privacy and Security

An electronic management system allows only authorized users to access their work and associated data. Medical records can be secured, and routed only to those with a need to access the data. Alternatively, extraordinary measures would be necessary to implement office procedures designed to protect such documents. If a user is assigned a difficult case, they must handle it, or pass it to someone who can. Work cannot just disappear. The automated audit trail (history) leaves an indelible record of who, what, where and when during each step of the workflow as documents and information are being processed.

Improved Service

Access to information is instantaneous and staff or referring physicians can book exams easily over the web. The frequent administrative use of the phone and fax to book and confirm appointments can be reduced or eliminated, so staff can concentrate on more productive and rewarding office work.

Employee Satisfaction

When computerized workflow systems were in there infancy, there was fear that users would feel oppressed and dissatisfied by being directed by a computer. The actual experience is in fact just the opposite; users became more satisfied with their work. Workplace experts recognized that the optimum work environment was to select the one most important piece of work (assigning suitable work- the right thing), and complete it (feeling a sense of accomplishment), before moving on to the next item.

Organizational Options

There can be certain advantages to performing certain work in a particular location. Local labor markets, tax incentives and real estate resources can vary widely from location to location, and indeed internationally. Information portability is much more efficient and so work can be performed at any location and outside normal business hours. Indeed the physical office space can be significantly reduced because the paper file burden can be minimized or eliminated. This is of a particular concern to physicians and other healthcare professionals that rely heavily on paper records and are required by law to archive and store all patient files for extended periods of time.

Contributed by Ted Barrington.