10 Ways of How Telehealth and EHRs are Reshaping Patient Care

For many years, healthcare depended on paper charts and in-person visits. But the tide is turning! Recent years have seen a surge in digital technology like electronic health records (EHRs) and Telehealth, and their impact is undeniable. 

We’ve 10 key ways these technologies are redefining healthcare in this blog post, from enhancing patient access to improving diagnostic accuracy and revolutionizing chronic disease management.

The Role of Electronic Health Records (EHR) Software and Telehealth in the Improvement

Not long ago, there was a significant increase in the number of hospitals that started implementing electronic health record (EHR) systems, telehealth, etc.

The pandemic changed the lives of people around the world in a glimpse. Because it impacted negatively for many, it paved the way for betterment in the healthcare industry. This first raised concerns regarding access to medical services. And the technologies showed their way to the solution – “remote care” through telehealth.

People prefer remote healthcare services rather than traditional in-patient care as it protects them from the spread of diseases and saves their money and time from traveling.

On the other hand, electronic health records (EHR) software plays a significant role in delivering better patient care. It provided services that helped to bridge the gap between the patients and their physicians.

There are more digital technologies and ways that lead to improvements in the healthcare sector. We present to you the top 7 of the improvements here.

Related: Case Study: Enhancing Patient Care Through Telehealth Integration

1. Increase in Remote Care – Telemedicine & Remote patient monitoring

The pandemic made us rethink our ways to access healthcare services. Many preferred and still prefer door-to-door services. This is where telemedicine and remote patient monitoring come into play. Telemedicine Virtual doctor visits via video conferencing allow patients to conveniently access care from home. Remote patient monitoring through connected devices enables doctors to track vitals and symptoms outside the hospital. 

Telemedicine expands access to specialists and reduces unnecessary ER visits and hospital readmissions. It also minimizes infection risks during pandemic lockdowns. Telehealth is transforming when, where, and how patients receive care.

2. Inter-Physician Connectivity was Enhanced

Interoperability is made easier by evolving digital platforms. Traditionally, connecting and sharing medical information among physicians was done by paper mode and calls. Now everything is available just a click away. 

Digital technologies allow for easier and better communications. Findings show that new devices have reached the market for physicians to start conversations and share recent findings on their smartphones. This perfectly helps in reducing the time taken to get in touch with colleagues.

3. Internet – Has Become the Warehouse

According to a source, “One of the main uses of the internet is as an encyclopedic information resource. Surveys consistently show that 60-80% of the World Wide Web users have used it to obtain health information. 

The internet has the potential to educate and empower the health consumer by providing information on health and health services and supporting self-help and patient choice”. 

More and more people are depending on or prefer to use the internet for everything. Especially when it comes to the healthcare domain, both the patients and doctors are assisted with the help of the internet. The Internet is the foundation of work going on with everyone.

4. Increase in the Usage of Wearables and Smartphone Technologies for Good

Wearables and smartphone-based devices play an important role in taking the healthcare industry up the rising ladder. Many smartphones allow applications that can track heart rates, hypertension, etc, which can be transmitted to the physician at any time.

Wearables like smartwatches and insulin trackers can track blood sugar levels, heart rates, oxygen levels, etc. These devices function to help people track their health daily and to avoid difficult emergencies. 

5. Helping Pharmaceuticals in the Improvement of their Products

Electronic Health Records (EHR) enables pharmacies to connect with patients and physicians to perfect the prescribing process. As EHRs are widespread and their access to vital patient data increases, access to more resources is being opened to pharmaceutical companies to make their product development decisions.

Some companies have already started to validate their products based on the effectiveness of the drugs rather than their usage of them. This paves the way for positive growth from the side of drug companies.

Related: How Pharma EHRs Can Help Prevent Dangerous Drug Interactions

6. Better Treatment and Decision Making

The clinical decision support system (CDSS) provided by EHRs helps physicians make better judgments and perfect decisions when it comes to medical treatments, drug selections, and procedures. Some studies show that computers can now offer input on X-rays and similar diagnostics to help physicians make more timely and informed decisions.

More polished medical practices help patients directly in healing and recovering. New technologies like machine learning and AI are being incorporated into EHR systems to further enhance clinical decision-making.

7. Accessing Medical Information – Made Easy

Telehealth, EHR, and many more platforms made access to information easy for both the providers and the patients. Everything’s available online now. It has become a common thing to search on the internet for details regarding symptoms one has.

The internet, with the help of all these evolving technologies, has answers for everything. But everything isn’t true. One must understand and keep that in mind when doing such searches. Only a thorough investigation by the physician can confirm anything.

Anyways, the vast availability of information made possible by the technologies has made and will tirelessly make the healthcare industry’s standard grow regularly. Patient portals integrated with EHRs also provide 24/7 access to test results, appointment scheduling, prescription refills, and secure messaging with doctors.

8. Improved Health Diagnostics

EHRs can integrate clinical decision-support tools to help providers in making accurate diagnoses. This may include symptom checkers and algorithms to identify potential conditions based on patient data.

EHRs may also provide reminders about best practice diagnostic guidelines to reduce unnecessary or inappropriate testing. For example, the system may flag that a patient meets the criteria for a diabetes screening based on age and risk factors.

Telehealth extends the reach of specialist knowledge that can enhance the diagnostic experience. Primary care physicians can consult with specialists in the fields of cardiology, neurology, and radiology to interpret findings and recommend the most appropriate diagnostic course of action. This saves time, money, and patient discomfort associated with referring patients to an in-office specialist.

9. Chronic Disease Management

Telehealth allows for remote monitoring of patients with chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart failure. Patients can take readings of essential signs, symptoms, glucose levels, or different health metrics at home and transmit them to their provider team.

It engages patients in self-care and offers clinicians actual-time visibility into health status outside of the doors of the office. Any worrying modifications may happen right away, preventing acute exacerbations.

Telehealth can also facilitate everyday virtual check-ins between patients and healthcare providers to review health goals and medication adherence.

Patients are empowered every day to manage their infection with ongoing clinical help and training. Interactive apps provide education and reminders about food plans, exercise, and medications daily to optimize self-care

10. Decrease Adverse Drug Events

The Electronic Health Records system also helps to reduce adverse drug events by improving medication safety. When patients are admitted to the hospital or see a new healthcare provider, EHRs allow for medication reconciliation This process involves creating a comprehensive list of all medications that the patient is taking. EHRs also cross-check the medication list for allergies, drug interactions, and duplicate medications. 

This thorough medication list allows providers to avoid prescribing medications that could potentially cause an ADR. Clinical decision support tools embedded in EHRs can also be checked for potentially hazardous drug-drug or drug-disease interactions. With this extra layer of control, EHRs catch potential errors and ADRs before they happen, improving overall medication safety and reducing avoidable harm to patients.

Vozo EHR & Telehealth Solution

Using EHR and Telehealth for your healthcare practices can significantly help provide better healthcare for patients and help increase practice revenue. 

If you are searching for the best EHR-integrated telehealth solution, Vozo has the best solution for all levels of healthcare practice. Utilizing the Vozo Telehealth and EHR Integration lets you create a more streamlined workflow for your Mental Health Practice. 

• Vozo’s cost-effective subscription benefits all levels of practice.
• Our feature-rich solution helps you rectify mistakes efficiently and speed up the process.
• Vozo EHR and telehealth solutions resonate with specialty practice needs and requirements.
• Our expert technical team got you covered 24/7 if any needs arise.
• Our EHR-integrated telehealth solution continues to scale as your healthcare practice grows to improve the user experience.

By using the Vozo EHR and Telehealth solution, providers can reduce burdens and focus more on better patient outcomes remotely.

Reach out to Vozo and utilize cutting-edge EHR and Telehealth solutions for better healthcare practice management and patient outcomes.