Customizable EHR - Tailoring Your EHR System to Meet Your Practice’s Unique Needs
Electronic Health Records (EHR) have transformed how healthcare providers do their job. From managing revenue and streamlining workflows to enhancing patient communication, the right EHR can take your practice to the next level.
But, as every practice is unique, a one-size-fits-all EHR system often falls short of meeting specific needs. That’s where a customizable EHR comes in—a solution designed to adapt to your practice’s requirements.
Key takeaways in this article:
- What a customizable EHR system is and why it matters
- Key areas to focus on when personalizing a system
- How to troubleshoot any issues during customization
- How to start customizing your EHR right now!
What is a Customizable EHR System?
A customizable EHR system is a digital platform that allows healthcare practices to tailor its features and functionality to align with their unique workflows and patient care goals.
Unlike traditional, off-the-shelf EHR systems with pre-set options, customizable EHRs offer flexibility and enhanced user control.
Key features of customizable EHR systems:
- Custom workflows to match patient care processes.
- Intuitive user experience that matches the preferences of the providers and staff resulting in a more intuitive user experience.
- Personalized templates and forms for specialty practices.
- Scalable EHR platforms that grow with a practice.
- Seamless third-party integrations for tools like medical billing software or lab systems.
Off-the-Shelf EHR vs. Customizable EHR
With an off-the-shelf or prebuilt EHR, users get a standard framework that may or may not support a practice’s specific requirements.
On the other hand, tailoring EHR solutions to meet your practice’s needs provides flexibility, enabling you to design workflows, forms, and modules that complement your practice size.
Should you choose a customized EHR over a prebuilt one? Here are some things to consider:
- Will your EHR need to integrate with numerous existing systems?
- Are you a specialty practice with specific clinical workflows?
- Do you want substantial control over reporting, data fields, and user interface?
- Do you want a paperless check-in process?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to consider a more personalized system.
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Why Having a Customizable EHR Matters
Every practice has varied needs based on size, specialty, and operational goals. For example, a dermatology clinic has entirely different requirements than an internal medicine practice.
For example, a dermatology practice needs medical templates tailored to their patient’s conditions, such as skin cancer, eczema, acne, or psoriasis. They may also want a system that can track and manage procedures like biopsies and laser treatments.
Benefits of a Customizable EHR
By adapting to the specific requirements of your practice, a customizable EHR offers several benefits:
Enhanced Efficiency and Integration
Tailoring the EHR system to your practice’s specific operational needs can significantly improve efficiency and productivity. For example, custom-built systems are usually fully integrated.
What does this mean? The system can easily handle tasks such as scheduling, billing, and patient tracking in one platform, improving overall practice performance.
For example, DrChrono’s cloud-based EHR is fully integrated and customizable to meet a practice’s specific needs. It offers an electronic medical record (EMR), patient engagement, and billing in one platform, whether on an iPhone, iPad, or web.
Customizable solutions, such as appointment templates and profiles, allow users to categorize specific slots for each doctor or specialty. This feature saves valuable time and money by streamlining tasks and cutting down on additional staff.
Improved User Experience
Customization also means convenience. When an EHR is cumbersome, it often leads to:
- Poor usability due to complex interfaces and workflows.
- Information overload and overwhelm due to alerts, reminders, and bulky notes.
- Additional clerical and data-entry tasks, such as billing.
A user-friendly EHR design reduces the learning curve and improves long-term medical staff satisfaction. A well-designed interface also minimizes distractions and unnecessary information, allowing medical staff to focus on key patient details.
Scalability
A scalable EHR platform grows with your practice, whether you’re expanding to a new location or branching into additional services. For this to happen, a system must be built to handle increasing workloads without performance issues.
Strategies for scalable EHR often include:
- Cloud-based solutions
- Interoperability
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Automation
Personalized Patient Care
Tailored EHR systems improve patient engagement through seamless communication and accurate data records.
A customizable EHR eliminates the inefficiencies of a one-size-fits-all approach by ensuring your system complements your practice’s operations.
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Key Areas to Customize in an EHR System
One of the most attractive characteristics of custom EHR solutions for practices is the ability to zero in on the areas that matter most to your operations. Below are some key areas for customization:
Workflows
From patient check-ins to follow-ups, streamline your processes with custom workflows in EHR platforms.
Unlike off-the-shelf EHR systems, a custom system can be designed to integrate seamlessly with existing workflows within a clinic. It can consider factors like specialty practices, patient demographics, and preferred treatment protocols.
Personalized workflows may include:
- Customization of clinical decision support features
- Automated tasks like insurance eligibility checks
- Extensive templates that accommodate data from multiple specialties within the same patient chart
- Personalization of documentation templates
Custom Forms and Templates
Create custom forms and workflows that align with your specialty, such as detailed dermatology charts or orthopedics forms. For example, DrChrono EHR offers customizable clinical forms, including:
- Medical forms prebuilt for specialty or built to specific needs.
- Charting tools, such as a Speech-to-Text feature, that providers can use from an iPad or desktop.
Data Modules
EHR systems can be revamped to focus on the key data points your practice needs for precision-based care, whether lab work tracking, patient history, or referral records.
For example, a medication management module allows for detailed tracking of prescriptions, drug interactions, refills, and potential allergies.
Third-Party Integrations
dd billing software, telehealth platforms, or analytics tools by integrating third-party tools with EHR systems. This integration makes managing administrative and clinical tasks easier from a single platform.
Some EHR systems utilize Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to facilitate data exchange with third-party applications, allowing secure access to patient information.
For example, DrChrono offers an interface, or scheduling widget, that allows users to code their scheduling tool onto an external site of their choice. This way, they can add their DrChrono calendar availability so patients can easily schedule appointments directly from the practice website. Find more information on DrChrono API here.
Patient Communication Tools
Enhance the patient experience with built-in features like advanced online portals for appointment scheduling or electronic prescription (eRx) refills.
Some essential features should include:
- Secure, HIPAA-compliant instant messaging (text, email)
- Ability to go mobile
- Real-time appointment availability checks
- Paperless patient check-in tools
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How to Implement a Customizable EHR in Your Practice
The implementation process for a customizable EHR for small practices or large-scale organizations requires a step-by-step approach to ensure a smooth transition. Here’s how to get started:
Conduct a Needs Assessment
Identify the specific functionalities that your practice requires. Talk to your staff and take note of your current limitations and barriers.
Whether you’re looking for a platform with an advanced patient portal or an EHR system offering features to streamline your multi-specialty practice, make sure it provides the right tools in the areas that matter.
- Does the system support desktops, tablets, and smartphones to ensure accessibility?
- Does it have integration capabilities to ensure the system can interface with other healthcare facilities and software?
- Can it go mobile and be downloaded as a HIPAA-compliant app?
- If you have a practice specialty, what are the specific needs? Different specialties may require unique features and functionalities within the EHR system.
- Can the system generate meaningful reports and analytics to track key performance indicators (KPIs) related to quality of care, patient outcomes, and practice efficiency?
Choose the Right Vendor
Research vendors that specialize in custom EHR solutions for practices. Choose a vendor that aligns with your organization’s goals and needs, such as if they have experience in your medical specialty. TechTarget suggests looking for:
- Clear examples and measures of success with similar clients.
- Request demos from vendors to experience the system firsthand.
- EHR interoperability to ensure seamless data sharing with other healthcare systems. For example, identify where your organization is using third-party software to ensure they will integrate with the new EHR system.
- The costs for system maintenance, future upgrades, scalability, and integrating new technologies and interfaces.
- Carefully review contract terms including pricing, service levels, and termination clauses.
Create a Plan
There are many customizable add-ons that are helpful to specialists within a particular medical practice. Work alongside your vendor to build out workflows, templates, and data modules tailored to what you need right now and in the future.
For example, do you need an EHR system complete with cardiology codes to streamline your medical billing? Or do you need a seamless workflow between ambulatory surgical centers (ASC) and your office?
Ensure Staff Training and Prepare for Downtime
Introduce your team to the new system and provide training sessions on the new workflows and tools. Here are a few training and implementation ideas from the American Medical Association (AMA) to get you started:
- Tailored curriculum: Design a training plan that focuses on the features and functions most relevant to each user group, including customized workflows and templates.
- Hands-on practice: Provide opportunities for hands-on practice and even quick tests with the system in a simulated environment to solidify understanding and build confidence.
- Mix it up: Utilize a mix of approaches including classroom instruction, online modules, demonstrations, and self-paced learning to cater to different learning styles.
- Be patient: Accept lower clinical activity during transitional phases.
- Prepare for downtime: While implementing customizations or transitioning to an entirely new system, plan for extended downtimes. For example, choose a communication channel for notifying practice partners and staff members about a planned or unplanned EHR downtime. This AMA guide will help you develop downtime procedures.
Monitor, Troubleshoot, and Optimize
Post-implementation, regularly assess the EHR system’s functionality and adjust as needed. Scalable platforms allow for continuous improvements. Take the time to troubleshoot and resolve any hiccups before the full rollout.
Additionally, as practices undergo customization post-launch, providers must continue to collaborate with staff and informatics teams. Tech Target suggests these strategies to use during implementation and after:
- Provide open communication about expectations and give frequent progress updates.
- Create a ticketing system to track, categorize, assess and resolve EHR issues regularly.
- Invite end users to give feedback on the EHR as it affects their roles.
- Examine elements of EHR use, such as time spent outside of work hours, to identify optimization opportunities.
Get Started Customizing Your EHR Right Now
Customizing your EHR doesn’t have to be a daunting process. Here are some actionable tips to kick off the process today:
- Start Small: Focus on tweaking one or two areas first, such as setting up a custom template for your patient forms. Expand as your team gets comfortable with the system.
- Collaborate with Your Staff: Get input from all staff members to ensure the customization process meets the needs of everyone in the practice. Continuously solicit and respond to feedback.
- Focus on User-Friendliness: Select options that prioritize a user-friendly EHR design to keep your team running efficiently, without confusion or frustration.
- Utilize Data Analytics and Stay Informed: Use data analytics tools within your EHR to gather insights on improving workflows. Stay up to date on software updates and new features, as they offer additional personalized options.
A tailored EHR system offers immense potential, revolutionizing how healthcare practices manage data, workflows, and patient care.
If you’re ready to reap the benefits of a customizable EHR system and invest in efficiency, precision, and long-term scalability, contact DrChrono today!