Beyond the fact that regulatory requirements are starting to trend towards electronic health records, there are many other reasons adopting an EHR system makes sense for an ASC.
EHRs help lower facility and operational costs. In addition to eliminating the need for chart rooms and storage, they also free up valuable staff so they no longer have to physically prepare charts for procedures.
A well-managed EHR system can also help implement a standard workflow that can be continuous, regardless of staff turnover so that staff departures will not disrupt the workflow/system. It also helps decrease ramp-up time for new personnel.
The biggest benefit to implementing an EHR system is the ability to deliver higher quality care. EHRs provide more accurate monitoring of patient count and medical requirements, while providing centers the ability to enforce their own clinical policies and procedures.
Yet despite the many benefits EHRs offer, widespread adoption remains slow within the ASC community. Many ASCs are reluctant to move forward for fear of implementations that are non-conductive to an ASC workflow.
At SourceMedical, we work with ASCs of every size to implement EHR systems that address their specific requirements. Following are some important rules we recommend centers consider before adopting an EHR system.
1. Understand your requirements
When it comes to EHR systems, one size does not fit all. Look for a vendor that specializes in the ASC industry.
Your EHR system needs to establish a workflow set that can be adapted to accommodate the day-to-day operations and the requirements of an ASC environment. Systems designed specifically for a physician practice or hospital will rarely meet the case management process demands of an ASC facility.
For example, because ASCs often have multiple specialties, workflows can vary. The requirements and standards for the various procedures are different; therefore, it is important to deploy a system that will adapt to each facility specialty. At a more granular level, you might want to have workflows specific to surgeons, case types or procedures.
The application also needs to be measured against the impact it will have on your contracted labor. The biggest single point of failure for EHRs in surgery centers is contractors who don’t honor the process; this can disrupt your workflow and negatively affect your ROI. Therefore, it is important to anticipate and be prepared for resistance by identifying and implementing a technology that will work with you to make this a successful process. This can be as simple as identifying a solution that has multiple data input styles which can be tailored to have a similar look and feel to ensure quick and easy adoption.
2. Do your vendor homework
When choosing a vendor, make sure they have adequate company resources. Typical benchmarks to consider include the length of service, client list, and number of systems they have installed. This information will help you determine the adoption rate of a particular technology and ensure the vendor has the level of experience required to meet your needs.
Inquire about the technology. Older, antiquated technology may be slow to adapt to changes, therefore unable to meet regulatory, compliance or other types of standards that will ultimately be set. Understanding the interoperability of your vendor’s system is also important, especially when incorporating management and clinical functions.
Does the vendor’s system address management as well as clinical requirements, or will they be interfaced? A unified solution is more desirable because there is less stress on upgrades. Obviously, there isn’t one solution that manages every aspect of a facility. However, when considering IT, the fewer interfaces, the better.
3. Demand ROI accuracy
Make sure the ROI analysis was designed specifically for ASCs. ROIs constructed to validate the existence of an EHR within a hospital setting or a practice will not provide an accurate analysis for ASC facilities. Additionally, because surgery centers need to carefully measure material and labor costs against software investment costs, look for a vendor that provides more than a basic ROI template. Although these templates are helpful, they should not be the only resource for measuring and validating the system purchase. A solid ROI offering will not only seek third-party validation or council, it should also be tailored to the specific ROI analysis of the surgery center. Lastly, don’t be afraid to speak with other facilities; peer reviews can be very valuable.
Your EHR system should provide you with the option to purchase only those components you require now, with the ability to build in additional functionalities, as needed. It should also allow for seamless integration with third-party systems. This solution is ideal if you want to extend your system to include the ability for patients to contribute to and/or validate their medical records.
In closing, finding the right EHR system should not be a painful process as long as you do your homework and understand your requirements.
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