Top five healthcare technology tools for medical office administrators
Explore the most popular technologies to improve your medical office’s efficiency
The immense amount of administrative functions at a medical office can quickly pile up on the staff, meaning that some tasks will either not be accomplished or not be completed as efficiently as possible.
If your administrative team is struggling to keep up with daily tasks, it may be time to consider implementing some healthcare technology tools to streamline their day-to-day functions. These tools will not only benefit office staff, but physicians and patients as well.
Continue reading to learn about the top five healthcare technology tools that medical offices should invest in.
#1: Electronic health records (EHR)
Electronic health records (EHR) are a digital version of traditional paper patient charts. These records can be updated in real-time, making the information available to authorized users instantaneously.
Digital records help to streamline the process of collecting and referring back to a patient’s health data. Electronic records also reduce any paper clutter and almost entirely eliminate the risk of misplacing or losing a patient’s information. This will save patients the frustration of needing to fill out medical forms again and again at each of their visits. EHR allows doctors to spend more time with their patients and build relationships with them rather than wasting time on tedious paperwork.
EHR also makes it easier for doctors to go back into their patient’s records from years ago and refer back to their history, such as past surgeries, medications, lab results, and more. Through these systems, follow-up appointments, medication reminders, and test results can be emailed or texted to the patient efficiently.
Electronic health records also allow for faster and easier transferring and sharing. 72% of office-based physicians use EHR, so in the case of a patient moving to a new city or another physician requesting their records, your office will be able to easily share those files with other doctors immediately. [1]
#2: Practice management software
A practice management software automates aspects of day-to-day operations to help physicians and administrators focus on other efforts. Practice management software allows physicians and other health professionals to focus on other efforts that cannot be automated.
Many practice management tools also have an EHR system and appointment scheduling tools, allowing your office the option to have multiple electronic tools under one platform. However, this also means if your practice management software were to have a technical issue, you would also lose access to other tools, so it’s typically recommended your office has a separate EHR and scheduling tool.
Your office could also consider investing in a practice management software that specializes in areas your other software lacks. For example, you could choose a practice management software with a quality billing tool, but also have a separate tool for EHR.
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#3: Patient portal
A patient portal provides patients with convenient and secure access to their health information. Patient portal software typically allows patients to see previous doctor’s appointments, lab results, immunization records, and appointment summaries. Some platforms also include a scheduling tool, a messaging feature, prescription refill request, and a billing tool.
Patients typically have to call their doctor’s office if they’d like to know their lab results or view something from their medical records. A patient portal allows patients to view all of this information without needing to call, saving you time from having to constantly gather medical records and lab results.
#4: Telehealth technology
Telehealth, also sometimes called telemedicine or virtual health, refers to the delivery of healthcare services through an online, HIPAA-compliant medium rather than an in-person visit. In recent years, telehealth has grown in popularity among physicians and patients—as of April 2021, 64% of American households reported they had used telehealth services in the past year. [2]
Telehealth is also a great option for people residing in remote locations, so that they are able to receive quality healthcare from home whenever possible. Some people however, are concerned with the security of telehealth services, so it’s important to provide your patients with educational information on the telehealth platform your office uses.
Read more:
Our HIPAA Compliance Checklist
#5: E-prescribing software
Electronic prescribing software allows physicians to refill and send prescriptions to pharmacies electronically. This software eliminates the need for patients to carry a paper prescription slip with them to the pharmacy.
An e-prescribing tool can send prescriptions directly from a patient’s physician to a pharmacy. Once the prescription is ready, the patient will get a call, text, or email, so they don’t have to wait for their medication.
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Sources:
1: HealthIT.gov | National Trends in Hospital and Physician Adoption of Electronic Health Records
2: Becker’s Hospital Review | 7 stats that show how Americans used telehealth in 2021