If your medical organization has been sitting on the fence regarding a switch from paper records to electronic health records, you may think that paper records offer you better security for your patients. In fact, using an electronic health record or EHR system offers you much better control over information security. Here are five reasons why electronic health records are more secure than paper records.

As your medical organization takes advantage of the latest in computer technology and software to improve efficiency, it can seem like you need a dedicated Information Technology department on hand to make sure that everything is functioning properly. Not only do you have to ensure that your software is up to date and that there are no bugs to patch, you need to keep up with the growing demand for data storage. For medical practices that only rely on computer professionals on a part-time or even ad-hoc basis, it’s prudent to look into using cloud-based electronic health record software. Cloud computing services are a great way to help you reduce expenses and manage your hardware and software needs, letting you focus more of your attention and resources on the basis of your organization: treating patients.

A major aspect of any medical organization is the ability to offer ongoing educational resources to patients. The more you can encourage your patients to learn about what steps they can take to get healthy and stay healthy, the better off they and your practice will be. What’s more, as you engage your patients, they will have a more positive attitude toward your practice and your staff. Fortunately, there are simple electronic health record tools that your organization can use to both engage and educate each of your patients.

Managers and owners of medical organizations are typically interested in setting up electronic health record software at their facilities to enable their staff to function more efficiently. Indeed, one of the more prominent benefits of EHR applications is how they help providers save time and money while adhering to the highest standards of patient care.

Electronic health record software is designed to help you run a more efficient medical practice. Providers opt for an EHR system so their staff can treat more patients more effectively. Benefits include being able to input patient information with a minimum of mouse clicks and keystrokes, checking on patient insurance status, converting paper documents into electronic records and easier billing. However, you can’t guarantee that productivity will automatically improve at your medical organization simply by installing an EHR system. If your team isn’t fully equipped to use the software or doesn’t understand all its capabilities, you might find they are experiencing EHR productivity dips. Fortunately, you can identify problem areas and overcome them. Select an Appropriate EHR System for Your Practice If you haven’t yet transitioned from a paper-based system to an EHR system on your computer network, take the time to research your available software options. It’s best to go with a software developer that has a proven track record in the medical field. Don’t try to shoehorn a particular EHR software if it won’t provide you with the capability your office requires. For example, a gastroenterology practice will do better with specialized EHR software instead of software that’s intended for use in a family practice. A gynecology practice will have different needs than a neurologist’s practice, and so on.

The advent of powerful smartphones and tablet computers is changing how we do business in a wide variety of industries, with healthcare being no exception. More medical organizations are turning to the power of mobile electronic health record software to give their professionals exceptional flexibility. This enables them to provide better patient care and streamline their operations. You would be well to wonder if mobile EHR software is the future of medical billing. It seems inevitable that the future will trend more toward mobile computing in general, and EHR software will accordingly take advantage of the new conveniences available from going mobile.

More and more medical organizations are seeing the benefits of using electronic health record or EHR software to help streamline their operations and improve patient care. Accordingly, managers and owners of practices that specialize in pain management will want to consider using specialized pain management EHR software.

Switching to a new way of doing business can be jarring for any organization, and owners and managers of medical organizations may be uncertain about how to prepare to implement an electronic health record or EHR system at their facility.

As the manager or owner of a medical organization that’s about to begin implementing electronic health records software, it’s important to make sure that you are following front and back office best practices. This ensures that you will get the most out of your investment in software and computers. You should assume that initial training and achieving mastery in using EHR software will take longer than anticipated. Unexpected glitches, misunderstandings and a lack of thorough training can throw you off schedule. Training is Key

Cloud computing is all the rage across many industries, and healthcare is no exception. Medical organizations that have seen the many positive aspects of using electronic health record software are now increasingly demanding cloud-based EHR software to gain or maintain a competitive advantage.