Prescription drugs are the second most abused category of drugs. About 70 percent of Americans – approximately 191 million people – visit a health care provider, such as a primary care physician, at least once every 2 years. Thus, health care providers are in a unique position to prescribe needed medications. We have all heard stories, have known someone, or have seen the TV show, Intervention, as to how addicts easily obtain prescriptions from multiple physicians in order to abuse prescription drugs. But what is stopping a person from obtaining various prescriptions from multiple different physicians?
The healthcare industry and the President’s 10 year EHR incentive plan is trying to combat this issue by first having physicians implement an EMR system. An EMR means “Electronic Medical Record”, which is an electronic version of a patient’s paper chart. It is a comprehensive record of a patient’s prescriptions, medical history, test records and diagnostic images. EHR and EMR sound like the same term, but EHR means “Electronic Health Record” and is a comprehensive collection of a patient’s healthcare records that will eventually be accessible by any physician in the country via the National Health Information Network. A patient’s medical history becomes sharable national data. An EMR is the first step to achieving a national EHR system. By implementing a national, sharable system, physicians will have a clear and comprehensive view of a patients medical record which will in turn decrease the number of prescriptions given to a patient.
There are many EMR companies and products to research when purchasing an EMR. Consider the following points when evaluating an EMR for a medical practice.
Understand the needs of the practice
Given the wide range of EMR companies, products, and features, consider writing out a list of what the practice wants most of an EMR in order to evaluate the financial impact.
Study workflow
Document and make a detailed diagram of the tasks performed and who currently performs them at each stage of the patient’s visit in order to study the workflow in a paper environment.
Quantify the changes
Where and how will implementing an EMR save time and money?
Billing
Will implementing an EMR help generate additional revenue in the billing department by ensuring accurate coding?
Negotiate
EMR companies will negotiate on price due to increased competition. Haggle away.
Install and train
After investing a lot of money into the EMR system, make sure staff is trained properly in order to see increased revenue and an efficient work flow.
Eliminate paper charts
Don’t allow the practice to get stuck managing paper records and an expensive EMR simultaneously. Obtaining an EMR is a financial opportunity; don’t let it become a liability.
It will take time for the national EHR system to be fully operational but the necessary steps are being taken now to insure that one day it will be harder for patients to abuse prescription drugs.
