How Custom EHR Improves Patient Outcomes and Physician Workflow

Implementing EHR systems is more important than ever in the competitive healthcare sector. However, a tailored system does make all the difference in delivering extraordinary patient care and smoothing physician workflows more than merely implementing general EHR systems.

Unlike one-size-fits-all solutions, custom EHRs are designed to meet the unique needs of medical practices and can be seamlessly integrated into their processes.

In this blog post, we have shared how custom EHRs improved patient outcomes and enhanced operational efficiency but also addressed unique challenges faced by healthcare providers.

What is Custom EHR and How Do They Differ from Ordinary EHRs?

Custom EHR software is tailored solutions to meet the needs and requirements of specific medical practices or institutions. 

Unlike ordinary EHR software which offers a general solution, custom EHR adapts to specific practice workflow, patient demographics, and specialty-specific requirements of healthcare providers.

For instance, dermatology practice highly relies on imaging to provide diagnosis. Custom EHR tailored to dermatology practice offers an Imaging module that allows quick and secure sharing of imaging results. 

Custom EHRs provide this flexibility, allowing providers to align technology with their specific goals.

• Custom EHRs offer functionalities specific to the practice that improve usability.
• They integrate seamlessly with existing processes that help to minimize disruptions.
• Custom EHR systems can evolve with the practice, accommodating growth or changes in healthcare delivery.
• It often requires higher initial investments and development time but provides long-term efficiency gains.

Custom EHR helps to improve both healthcare operation efficiency and patient care by prioritizing adaptability.

Importance of Custom EHRs for Healthcare Practices

Healthcare is getting more complex; practices need to balance patient care, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. Custom EHRs address these challenges by offering:

• Tailoring the features to the specific medical specialty allows custom EHRs to let providers focus on patient outcomes, not navigating complex software interfaces.
• Custom systems can be built to adhere to specific standards like HIPAA or GDPR, ensuring seamless compliance.
• Automation and integrated workflows minimize administrative burdens, freeing up providers’ time to perform clinical tasks.
• Advanced analytics in custom EHRs can reveal trends and patterns, enabling practices to make informed decisions.
• With features that align with their needs, healthcare professionals experience reduced frustration and burnout.

Custom EHRs help practices more nimbly and accurately maneuver through the complexities of contemporary healthcare.

6 Ways Custom EHR Improves Patient Outcomes and Physician Workflow

1. Personalized Care Plans

Custom EHR enables providers to create tailored treatment plans based on individual patient health data. Features like predictive analytics and AI-powered recommendations allow for:

• Proactive management of chronic conditions.
• Early identification of potential health risks.
• Improved coordination between primary and specialty care providers.

For example, a diabetes management module can track levels of glucose and make suggestions for dosage adjustments according to the history of the patient. In this manner, providers can greatly enhance patient outcomes and the experience of patients, alongside their satisfaction level.

2. Workflow Optimization

Custom EHR reduces the number of repetitive tasks performed by healthcare providers while streamlining operations with tailored workflows. Some of the key features include custom templates for speeding up the documentation process, an integrated scheduling system avoiding overbooking appointments, and Automated reminders and alerts to keep providers on track.

This level of workflow optimization saves more time and reduces errors which ultimately leads to better overall productivity.

Related: The AI in EHR Systems: Automating Clinical Documentation and Charting

3. Improved Medication Management

Medication errors are always one of the major concerns in healthcare. Medication errors are 30% more common in individuals who are on five or more drugs, and 38% more common in those aged 75 and up.

Custom EHR addresses these concerns significantly through:

• Automated alerts for drug interactions or allergies.
• Prescription tracking to ensure adherence.
• Integration with pharmacies for seamless medication fulfillment.

These features can reduce adverse drug events and improve patient safety.

4. Integration with Clinical Decision Support Systems

Custom EHRs often include CDSS, which gives real-time recommendations and alerts. The benefits include evidence-based treatment suggestions, alerts for critical lab results or diagnostic findings, and support for complex decision-making in high-risk cases.

This integration enhances diagnostic accuracy and treatment efficiency.

5. Enhanced Patient Engagement

Custom EHRs improve communication and engagement by offering patient portals, where providers can: 

• Access their medical records and test results easily
• Secure messaging for direct communication with providers 
• Health education resources are tailored to the individual’s needs.

When patients are involved in their care, outcomes improve dramatically.

6. Reduction in Physician Burnout

Custom EHRs are mainly designed to reduce the workload of healthcare providers. 

Healthcare providers used to spend more time on administrative tasks other than patient care. This will create burnout and reduce job satisfaction. Custom EHRs help to reduce the physician’s burnout by:

• Automating repetitive tasks like charting and coding.
• Offering intuitive interfaces that require less training.
• Providing analytics to help manage patient loads effectively.

This allows providers to spend more time taking care of patients, less stress, and increased job satisfaction.

Challenges in Implementing Custom EHRs for Healthcare Practices

1. Cost and Resource Allocation

• Developing and implementing custom EHRs can be expensive, requiring significant investment in software development and design, hardware and IT infrastructure, and ongoing maintenance and updates.
• However, these costs are often offset by long-term savings.

2. Training and Adoption

• Custom EHRs take time for staff members and providers to adapt the system.
• Challenges in adapting the system include resistance to change among employees, time, and resources needed for comprehensive training, and potential productivity dips during the transition phase.
• Consider Investing in user-friendly designs and training programs that can mitigate these issues.

3. Data Security and Compliance

• Ensuring regulatory standard compliance, such as HIPAA or GDPR, is very important.
• Some of the key considerations include Implementing encryption and access controls, regularly updating software to address vulnerabilities, and conducting periodic audits to ensure compliance.
• Addressing these challenges early in the development process builds trust and safeguards patient information.

Related: The 8-Step Checklist to Consider Before Implementing EHR

Vozo EHR Solution for Healthcare Practices

From managing and organizing patient health records digitally to reducing medical errors, the electronic health records system significantly empowers providers to improve healthcare quality. 

Vozo EHR can be your first option if you’re looking for the greatest EHR system for your healthcare organization. Our all-inclusive EHR system simplifies and bears all the duties so you may concentrate more on patient care.

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

The Vozo Customized EHR solution benefits your healthcare practices, increasing productivity and cost savings by streamlining the administrative process, enhancing workflow efficiency, lowering mistake proneness, managing all patient records in one location, and more.

Our specialty-specific tools like scheduling, patient portals, lab integration, cloud hosting, and more meet your healthcare practice’s specific needs and requirements.

“Embrace Vozo EHR to Reduce Your Burdens and Enhance Patient Care”