Written By Regina Thomas / Reviewed By Ray Spotts
The healthcare industry is rapidly changing with the onset of new technology. With this in mind, traditional practices are being replaced by electronic medical records and online patient portals.
These platforms have helped alleviate some of the most tedious aspects of healthcare administration for physicians and staff members alike while also providing a more efficient means to connect patients with their providers. This blog post will discuss how business technology can help your hospital or clinic be more productive and efficient.
1. Improved communication:
EMRs and Patient Portals, E-mail, texting, phone calls, etc., have become popular forms of communication in the medical field. However, words aren't the only form of important information being exchanged between your staff members.
Much of a doctor's time is spent in face-to-face meetings with other providers or patients to discuss care plans, progress, and test results.
Today's business technology allows providers to automatically record voice memos, video conferences, or meetings into the EMR for easy access by other staff members or patients. When time is of the essence, these tools are essential.
2. HIPAA-compliant messaging:
With all of this in mind, we also need to consider how we're communicating. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) outlines guidelines for sharing health information between providers, patients, and other healthcare institutions. However, HIPAA does not specifically state what type of communication can or cannot be used within the workplace.
Today's business technology allows providers to quickly send private patient messages through online portals with just a few clicks. This ensures that confidential patient information remains secure and HIPAA compliant while still helping your staff work more efficiently.
3. Mobile access:
Healthcare professionals are no different from any other work when it comes to staying connected on the go. Today's business technology allows physicians and providers to access their patient records and hospital databases from a mobile device if necessary.
This is an extremely convenient way for many to stay connected with the office while they're away. It also helps ease some of the stress of being out-of-office by allowing them access to important information when needed most.
4. Online appointment scheduling:
This one may seem like a no-brainer, but it is certainly an important aspect of improving efficiency. Scheduling appointments can be time-consuming for your staff members and patients alike. EMRs allow office managers to automate appointment schedules for their providers, which saves them both time and resources.
This process enables physicians to notify patients of upcoming appointments via text, phone calls, or personalized messages. Additionally, patients who schedule their own appointments via the patient portal can schedule online, all within just a few clicks.
This allows staff members to spend more time focusing on other key areas without worrying about how scheduling affects their workflow.
5. Electronic Signature:
With today's business technology, physicians can sign off on their patient's charts, referral letters, or other important documents via an electronic signature rather than signing them in person. This not only helps your office remain paperless, but it also provides you with a more efficient means of collecting signatures on key documents.
Physicians can electronically sign these documents without the need to head into the office. At the same time, medical assistants can scan the documents electronically and track all your signed copies within your EMR.
6. Medical Billing/Insurance Verification:
Accountable care is not simply about cost reduction; it is fundamentally about quality improvement. When it comes to healthcare reform, hospitals and other providers need a more efficient way to manage the patient's financial responsibility. SPA POS software makes this possible through an automated billing service.
This program allows you to track your patients' insurance eligibility and benefits for a variety of plans. When necessary, it will also help physicians coordinate benefits and ensure that a patient is covered by their insurance before performing services.
In the end, this makes billing easier for everyone involved and ensures that physicians can spend more time caring for their patients without worrying about who is going to cover the costs of their care.
7. Electronic Prescription:
The healthcare industry is no stranger to the "paperless" movement. Today's business technology makes it easier than ever for physicians to enter their patients' prescription requests electronically, while still adhering to HIPAA standards of privacy and security.
This not only reduces the risk of medication errors but also ensures that all your patient records are more accurately maintained with a single, up-to-date database.
In addition to helping maintain accuracy within your EMR, electronic prescriptions allow physicians' offices to track which patients have been prescribed a certain drug and how often they fill their prescriptions.
This data helps teams better understand the medication needs of their patient population and is especially helpful when working with a limited budget.
In Conclusion
Business technology certainly has its place within the healthcare industry. With so many benefits to using these technologies, now is the perfect time for physicians' offices to invest in enhanced professional service companies.
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Reviewed By:
Regina Thomas is a Southern California native who spends her time as a freelance writer and loves cooking at home when she can find the time. Regina loves reading, music, hanging with her friends and family along with her Golden Retriever, Sadie. She loves adventure and living every day to the fullest.
Reviewed By:
Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash