6 Strategies for Easily Extract Data from EHR

The Electronic Health Records (EHR) system stores a wealth of useful patient data. Extracting important information from EHR is critical for research, quality improvement, and healthcare analytics. 

However, the process might be hindered by inconsistencies in data format and complex EHR system structure. There are effective strategies that healthcare professionals can employ for a smooth data extraction process.

This blog post shares the 6 strategies to help you easily extract the valuable insights that you want from your EHR System.

What is an Electronic Health Record?

The Electronic Health Record (EHR) system is a digitized version of traditional paper records. It can be adopted, implemented, and utilized by healthcare providers to securely keep patients’ medical records.

The providers have maintained these medical records and they allow access to authorized users. Patient information including:

• Patient demographics
• Medical history
• Progress notes
• Vital signs
• Lab results
• Immunizations
• Treatment plans
• Radiology reports

Having this comprehensive list of patient information helps to promote better patient outcomes over time. It enables instant availability of patient information in just a few clicks.

Related: 5 Ways EHRs Are Making Providers Better at Diagnosing Patients

The Importance of Electronic Health Records System in Modern Healthcare

EHRs are now essential to modern health care. It has drastically changed the way you handle, store, and access patient data.

• EHRs can centralize patient data, enabling more informed decision-making and better-coordinated treatment.
• It also improves communication among healthcare providers, which leads to fewer medical errors and more patient safety.
• EHRs make healthcare more efficient and cost-effective by automating administrative procedures.

Electronic health record systems have become increasingly vital in providing patients with high-quality, personalized, and cost-effective care.

6 Strategies to Extract Data From Electronic Health Records Systems Easily

1. Utilizing In-Built Reporting Tools

Most EHR systems include reporting capabilities that enable you to extract data in an organized way. You must identify the main reports for your needs and learn how to create and customize them.

But before going through the custom solutions, you need to explore the capabilities of the built-in reporting tools thoroughly.

• Can they be filtered by precise date ranges or demographics?
• Do they offer export options in various formats? (eg. CSV, Excel, or JSON)

2. Use Data Extraction Software

• There are various software available that are specially designed to extract data from EHR.
• Tools like Medidata Rave, Tableau, and Microsoft Power BI can connect directly to your EHR system.
• These tools will provide intuitive interfaces for querying, filtering, and exporting data.
• Investing in such data extraction software can significantly smooth the data extraction process.

3. Collaborate with IT and Informatics Team

• Your organization or outsourcing IT and informatics teams likely have in-depth knowledge of the EHR system and can be an invaluable resource.
• Their expertise can be a crucial asset.
• Work closely with them to understand the full data architecture, identify the most efficient data extraction methods, and troubleshoot any challenges that arise.

4. Develop Custom Data Extraction Queries

• If the built-in reporting tools don’t meet your needs, you can create custom SQL or other database queries to extract specific data.
• This method offers more flexibility but may demand more technical expertise.
• Consider partnering with a data analyst or programmer to develop and optimize custom queries.

5. Automate the Data Extraction Process

• Establishing an automated data extraction procedure is an additional technique for extracting EHR data.
• You can set up an automatic process to continuously extract and export the data you require.
• This could involve linking your EHR system with other data platforms and pipelines, scheduling reports, or executing custom queries on a set frequency.
• In the long term, automating the EHR data extraction procedure can save you more time and work.

6. Ensuring Data Quality and Integrity

• After you extract the data from EHR, Keep an eye out for any potential problems with the quality of the data.
• Establish reliable procedures to confirm the extracted data’s consistency, accuracy, and completeness.
• This might include employing complex data processing and cleaning procedures, cross-referencing with additional data sources, and carefully recording any restrictions or warnings.

Related: The Must-Have EHR Components You Need to Know

By implementing these 6 strategies, you can easily extract valuable data from the EHR system.

This will allow you to better use EHR data for research, quality improvement, clinical decision-making, and other vital healthcare efforts. The insights gained can lead to real, long-term improvements in patient treatment.

Vozo EHR for Your Practice

Want to streamline your practice workflow? Whether you are a small-scale clinic, specialty practice, or large-scale healthcare organization, Vozo Cloud EHR is here for you.

Vozo’s EHR system offers a vast range of benefits for your specialty practice.

• Streamline your specialty practice workflow and speed up the process
• Easy transition from paper workflow to digital workflow
• Provides complete access to the patient’s up-to-date medical records
• Accurate reporting and analytics for better decision-making
• Our Cloud EHR system continues to scale as your healthcare practice grows
• 24/7 Tech support to assist you with any needs or requirements

Our EHR system allows you to manage all patient records under one roof, reducing the heavy workload for your healthcare practice staff.

Trust in Vozo EHR as we reduce your burdens and let you focus more on better patient outcomes.