How EMR & Practice Management Systems Plays A Significant Role In Contingency Planning!
By Matt Wilson, Aegis HealthTech
Crisis, disaster, catastrophe – are not mere words. They have severe consequences on our lives and our daily activities. No one likes to think about them. In fact, we don’t even plan for them unless they are upon us. When there is a severe crisis affecting the smooth functioning of the organization, we realize the importance of contingency planning. If you are in the medical profession, you must rely on EMR (Electronic medical records) and PM (Practice Management Systems) to help you in crisis situation (besides their regular use).
Today, we are going to discuss how you can use this technology to prepare for and survive a crisis situation.
- Back Up Data:
For practices where paper records are still prevalent, backing up information is nearly impossible. If disaster strikes the location where all the paper records are stored – everything will be lost in an instant. To avoid any such situation, you should ideally opt for digital practices whereby you can store all your data online. Make sure that at frequent intervals you back up the data stored.
However, storing data digitally can give rise to HIPAA concerns and is often not practical at times when quick preparations are required.
What is the solution in such a scenario? – The answer is relatively simple. With the rise of EHR technology, many medical practitioners have opted for EMR solutions. However, the On-premise Servers for EMR are expensive to set up and require manual backing up. Hence, you should opt for Cloud & SaaS (Software-as-a-Service). Here, backing up data is never an issue. They depend on off-site secure servers that do not require any manual backing up practice. They backup automatically. This ensures that you have access to a “backup” copy in case of any catastrophe or crisis.
- Inform Your Patients & Staff
During crisis situation it is extremely vital that you keep your patients and staff updated about the ongoing situation. With the Practice Management software, it is easier to keep them up breasted. You can set up a template letter communicating the plan of action where you can provide the details regarding the date of appointment, when it has been rescheduled and so on.
Keep in mind that the communication part does not end with your patients. You need to keep the staff informed as well. They too need to be aware of the crisis situation and as to why your medical center is closed along with the details of when the center will re-open. The aim is to plan in advance so that when the disaster strikes you are well prepared to send out the information at the click of a button.
- Transfer of Records and Influx of Patients
What happens when a natural catastrophe affects a nearby town? There may be many patients who seek medical attention out of the town. How do you plan to deal with it? It is not necessary that crisis situation will affect your medical center only. You need to be prepared to deal with unforeseen incidents where your medical center has to provide assistance to patients from outside the town. It is here that EMR will save the day for you. By optimizing scheduling and practice workflows you will be able to create opportunities whereby you can deal with an influx of patients at any given point of time.
Check out the tools of the EMR. You will find that majority of them come with an option whereby you can transfer medical records of patients. This means you have access to the patient’s entire medical history at your fingertips. In other words, you will be opening doors to additional patients thereby maximizing you revenue.
The Key: Always Be Ready
At times the disaster may be within your office, at times it can be of a regional level. Either way, it is vital that you always have a contingency plan of action in place. This in the long run will help you to deal with your patients and staff in a better and informed manner.
Whatever the cause – natural disaster or loss of internet connection in your office – these interruptions can have severe impact on the running of your office. Hence, it is advisable to always plan in advance if you wish to avoid any unnecessary hiccups. Knowing how to use EMR and PM can bring about a world of difference to your business. Go ahead and get started today.