The following is an excerpt from an article originally published on Healthcare Dive. It was written by Meg Bryant. While there is still plenty of room for improving the usability of electronic health records (EHRs) and making them more affordable for care providers, experts are trying to get folks to focus on their future potential. The barriers to EHR implementation and interoperability are slowly coming down and once they do, vendors will start looking to add more functionalities to the systems.

Medical practices both large and small are coming to see the benefits of deploying electronic health record software at their facilities. Making the transition from an old-fashioned, paper-based system for tracking patients’ charts to EHR software is not something to take lightly. But the longer you delay the inevitable computerization of your practice, the longer it will take to get your employees trained and up to speed with using the new system.

Implementing customized radiology EMR software modified to fit your practice can transform productivity and efficiency to improve both workflow and patient experiences. Paper-based systems have pain points that frustrate staff members and create bottlenecks that slow down collaboration and delay patient treatment. Making digital information available directly from an EHR patient chart encourages collaboration and informed-consultations in real-time, without waiting for printed records and films – or CDs – to be delivered via mail or courier.

Electronic Medical Records are quickly becoming a must-have for any modern medical practice. More and more practices are finding that using the software allows them to spend less time tracking down patient information, and more time engaging their patients and growing their practice. Furthermore, this software greatly reduces data entry mistakes, and makes it easier to keep track of important patient and medical billing data.

Telemedicine has evolved over the past few decades from simple telephone conferences into a technology rich solution connecting physicians, patients, clinicians, and researchers, facilitating more efficient and effective healthcare delivery. One of the key drivers of telemedicine expansion is the electronic health record (EHR) system, with advanced EHR software functionality.

Making value-based (VB) healthcare work doesn’t have to be challenging if the practice, group, or network has two things: (1) the proper automation tools, and (2) the resources on which to rely in transforming them from fee-for-service into VB. First, a little VB background. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) is a law designed to encourage more medical providers, otherwise known as “Eligible Clinicians” or “ECs” in MACRA-speak, to embrace VB medicine. For 2017, CMS has designated MDs, DOs, DDSs, DMDs, NPs, PAs, CNAs, and CRNAs as ECs. If you’re one of these, and you’re not exempt, you can and should move into the VB medicine world of quality vs. quantity.

Electronic prescribing -- sending digital medication orders to pharmacies via electronic health record (EHR) software -- promises myriad benefits for physicians and patient-consumers. Whether implemented as a stand-alone module or as part of a fully-integrated EHR system, e-prescribing can help ambulatory-care centers and physician practices improve their finances and internal efficiency.

Standalone software is often suitable for smaller practices that are just starting out and do not have a large patient population or multiple specialties. Your IT team installs the electronic health record application on your own servers and you take care of upgrades on your own whenever the software provider issues an update (such as a module for selecting the proper ICD-10 code or to address new regulations).

What many people envisioned as simply a tool to collect and share comprehensive health records has evolved over the past couple of decades into a multi-faceted, data-driven workhorse that can improve workflow, generate new revenue streams and improve patient outcomes significantly. To get the most from your electronic health record (EHR) you need to understand the power of the software beyond surface. Let's look at how the technology empowers medical providers to take control of their workflow in the practice, clinic or hospital setting.

Treating behavioral health is a specialty unlike any other medical condition. Electronic healthcare record (EHR) solutions should reflect the unique nuances of patient care. Below are five key features every mental health practitioner should look for when evaluating EHR options.