Healthcare software can offer several advantages to medical practices and patients alike. It decreases document-related paperwork, automates business processes, increases data accessibility and privacy, and boosts client satisfaction.
It also empowers patients with medication reminders, symptom tracking and education resources to help them manage their conditions. But can it really enhance patient care?
1. Patient portals
Patient portals make a big impact on workflow by taking the burden of non-urgent communication off nurses and receptionists. They also free up time for telemedicine and allow patients to consult with physicians remotely.
These digital channels can significantly reduce the need for patients to visit in person, making them a valuable tool during a pandemic and automating administrative tasks. For example, COVID-19 brought an unexpected surge in case numbers, but patient portals allowed them to schedule and register for care online, and complete paperwork without the need to share clipboards or sit in stuffy waiting rooms. Patients could also manage their appointments, pay bills and request prescription refills using the portal.
However, many providers have yet to fully harness the power of patient portals. In a recent PYMNTS survey, 16% of patient portal users said they’d had trouble viewing invoices, setting up payment plans or making payments via their healthcare provider’s portal. This indicates that a lot of work needs to be done in terms of making the process easier for patients and better integrating it into clinical workflows.
Typical hurdles that stand in the way of patient portal adoption range from lack of awareness to worries about data privacy and security. Healthcare professionals can counter these barriers by getting skilled at explaining the features and benefits of a portal to their audience. This could mean giving brochures or even hosting workshops, especially for older patients and those from different cultures who might need more help using the portal.
Another key point is choosing the right portal software for your practice. Some patient portals are standalone offerings, while others come packaged with a healthcare provider’s EMR and/or EHR system. Make sure your chosen portal works on mobile devices and can be easily accessed by the most of your patient population.
2. Remote monitoring
Remote monitoring is a subset of telehealth that uses digital technology to monitor patients outside of the hospital setting. Combined with technology platforms that can analyze, aggregate, and integrate this data into clinical workflows for patient care delivery, it enhances accessibility, empowers patients, and optimizes workflow efficiency for healthcare providers.
Using technologies like base hubs, wearable devices, personal emergency alerts, interactive tablets and mobile apps, remote patient monitoring (RPM) can send real-time data directly to medical professionals. The information can also be transmitted to patients, allowing them to track their symptoms, vitals and recovery progress, as well as receive personalized, just-in-time education that keeps them on the right path.
By providing patients with easy-to-use tools to stay connected to their provider between office visits, RPM empowers them to take charge of their health and boosts engagement levels. For healthcare providers, it can help improve continuity of care and reduce costs.
In the COVID-19 pandemic, remote patient monitoring has been especially crucial. As the outbreak caused a shortage of staff and hospital beds, it was imperative for patients to be monitored at home so that they could quickly be transferred to the proper medical care facility if they developed severe symptoms.
Providing patients with tools to stay connected to their provider between in-office appointments is important, but it’s equally important to provide them with the support they need to maintain healthy habits outside of the clinic. The U.S. healthcare system has been struggling to keep up with the rising treatment costs of chronic diseases, but implementing effective preventive measures can help shift those costs.
3. EHRs
While EHRs started as a way to transition patient files from paper to digital, they have evolved into much more. They now enable doctors to share information more easily with patients and other healthcare providers. This is especially useful in emergency or acute care situations, when time is of the essence. In one example, a director of nursing at a care center reported saving three hours per day on administrative tasks by implementing an EHR system.
This advanced functionality also enables healthcare professionals to focus on addressing patient needs, rather than simply processing data. For example, when a diabetic patient’s score goes above certain levels, the physician can be automatically alerted to send the patient an educational protocol to help them manage their condition more effectively.
EHRs can also link all of a patient’s healthcare services together in one central location, regardless of where the person is receiving treatment. This provides a broader, more holistic view of a patient’s health and can help reduce the risk of medical errors by eliminating the need for duplicate tests or prescribing medications that have already been tried and found ineffective.
The interoperability of EHRs is crucial for providing the best possible care for patients. This is why many organizations choose to use a proven API solution, such as eHealthConnect, to ensure that all of their systems can exchange patient data in real-time without risking PHI security or compromising efficiency. This enables healthcare providers to collaborate with other members of their team, as well as with patients and their families. This can result in better decision-making, and more efficient, less stressful, clinical work. In addition, it can save valuable time and money for both hospitals and their patients.
4. Personalized medicine
One of the key trends in health care that is making a significant difference is personalized medicine. It is an approach that aims to tailor medical treatments to the needs of each individual patient, using information such as genetics and other molecular and cellular data. This is a big departure from the traditional “one size fits all” approach, where patients are treated with the same drug or therapy regardless of their specific symptoms and prognosis.
Aside from the obvious benefits for each individual patient, this type of approach is also cost-effective for healthcare systems as a whole. This is because it can help to prevent or treat diseases at an earlier stage, before they become serious and costly. This early detection and treatment is a crucial factor in the prevention of disease, and it can lead to better outcomes for patients and decreased costs for healthcare systems.
While the concept of personalization is gaining momentum in the healthcare industry, it faces several challenges. These include intellectual property rights, reimbursement policies, and patient privacy and data biases. Moreover, some doctors may not fully embrace this technology, although that can be changed with the right training.
Despite the challenges, personalized medicine is an exciting development in the field of healthcare. It is a major step away from the one-size-fits-all approach that has been the standard for many years, and it is definitely an important part of the future of medicine. As technology improves and we learn more about the underlying mechanisms of certain diseases, we can continue to tailor our interventions to each patient, increasing effectiveness and decreasing side effects. Ultimately, this will result in better outcomes for all patients and more cost-effective healthcare for society as a whole.
5. Analytics
As healthcare providers look to optimize their clinical workflows, many are turning to software development for the solutions they need. Integrated software solutions allow physicians to streamline patient data management, increase collaboration between departments, and improve communication with patients.
Integrated software solutions also simplify administrative processes. They streamline appointment scheduling, patient registration, and billing systems. This frees staff to focus on more high-level tasks that enhance the patient experience.
Healthcare providers can also use data analytics tools to help reduce errors, track trends, and predict risks. For example, a medical system that uses data analytics to identify common medication errors can prevent the same mistakes from occurring again. This helps improve patient safety and ensures that the right patients receive the right medications at the right time.
In addition, predictive analytics can flag patients who are likely to miss appointments, allowing the healthcare provider to step in and offer targeted support before the problem escalates. This can prevent expensive re-admissions and improve overall patient outcomes.
Whether you’re looking to implement an advanced healthcare solution or simply upgrade your existing IT infrastructure, new software is essential for improving efficiency and improving patient care. With more than 27% of doctors’ time spent on data entry during a patient visit, leveraging AI systems can help them spend more time focused on the needs of the individual in front of them. Similarly, IoT systems can be used to monitor patient health in real-time, while digital twins can be created for surgical planning and identifying risk factors. To ensure that your IT system can handle the increased load of bandwidth-intensive connected devices, it’s worth implementing an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) before investing in full software development.
