EHR Systems Can Benefit Obesity Medicine Practices
Electronic health record (EHR) systems have been
around for more than 30 years. Some people
believe that EHR systems can lower health care costs
and improve patient care. Others believe, however,
that the systems have yet to prove their worth. But
at least one study has shown that the use of EHR
systems can improve the workflows in small physician
practices that specialize in an area. And since
obesity medicine is a specialty, EHR systems might
improve the operations of practices focusing on
obesity medicine.
A 2012 PMC article described a study which indicated that EHRs are more helpful in small specialty practices than in small primary care practices. The researchers concluded that "the physician offices that had implemented EHR systems, mainly specialty offices, were fully satisfied with the process and claimed to have improved their efficiency. However, they [the researchers] felt that an upgrade in appropriate interfaces with external entities would lead to further time saving.”
The study determined that external interfaces were especially abundant in small primary care practices. In fact, the researchers concluded that these interfaces were “the major sources of work delays” in small primary care practices.
However, since specialty practices have less external interfaces, and since many obesity medicine practices are small, EHR systems can help these practices improve their efficiency and effectiveness. And recently, a health care coalition indicated that three EHR vendors will add obesity prevention tools to their EHR systems, which should make these tools even more applicable in obesity medicine practices. The three EHR vendors that are adding the tools are Cerner, GE Healthcare, and Physicians Computer Company.
The addition of obesity prevention tools to these EHR systems should encourage more bariatricians to adopt EHR systems. But it should be noted that the researchers in the above referenced PMC article advise medical practices contemplating adopting an EHR system to “start small and grow.”
This approach, according to the researchers, can be inexpensive, and can allow a practice to add external interface capability, such as billing software, when the practice is comfortable with the chosen EHR system. Therefore, an obesity medicine practice may want to choose the simplest system among the three obesity medicine enhanced systems -- at least at first.
A 2012 PMC article described a study which indicated that EHRs are more helpful in small specialty practices than in small primary care practices. The researchers concluded that "the physician offices that had implemented EHR systems, mainly specialty offices, were fully satisfied with the process and claimed to have improved their efficiency. However, they [the researchers] felt that an upgrade in appropriate interfaces with external entities would lead to further time saving.”
The study determined that external interfaces were especially abundant in small primary care practices. In fact, the researchers concluded that these interfaces were “the major sources of work delays” in small primary care practices.
However, since specialty practices have less external interfaces, and since many obesity medicine practices are small, EHR systems can help these practices improve their efficiency and effectiveness. And recently, a health care coalition indicated that three EHR vendors will add obesity prevention tools to their EHR systems, which should make these tools even more applicable in obesity medicine practices. The three EHR vendors that are adding the tools are Cerner, GE Healthcare, and Physicians Computer Company.
The addition of obesity prevention tools to these EHR systems should encourage more bariatricians to adopt EHR systems. But it should be noted that the researchers in the above referenced PMC article advise medical practices contemplating adopting an EHR system to “start small and grow.”
This approach, according to the researchers, can be inexpensive, and can allow a practice to add external interface capability, such as billing software, when the practice is comfortable with the chosen EHR system. Therefore, an obesity medicine practice may want to choose the simplest system among the three obesity medicine enhanced systems -- at least at first.
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posted by Information Uncover at
12:56 PM
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