Patient advocacy benefits from EHR adoption

While electronic medical records were expected to streamline service in the health care industry, some unexpected benefits have arisen. According to FierceHealthIT, patient advocacy has improved in hospitals that have deployed EHR paperless solutions, ensuring that advocates have access to the information they need to help patients.

"It's like herding cats to get doctors to change, so be careful how you engage doctors and create a partnership with them," Edith Dees, CIO of Holy Spirit Health System, told the news source. "Pretend it's an 80-20 partnership in the doctor's direction and you'll get where you want to go."

"The best way to communicate with physicians is peer-to-peer, so there's a strong need to engage physician champions," said Bonnie Cassidy, senior director of health information management innovation at Nuance.

By deploying high-quality EHR solutions and supporting them with document conversion services and information management systems to maintain paperless strategies, medical centers can streamline the flow of data from doctor to advocate to patient and vice versa. The advantage is clearer communication and improved ease of operations for everyone involved.

As health care technologies improve, the level of attention that patients receive has to grow with it. Patient advocates help ensure this happens, and making their jobs easier helps to optimize the level of care anyone admitted into a hospital receives. ultimately, this will improve the state of the medical industry and ensure that everyone benefits from the changes.

From the doctors to the patients, the number of tests, procedures and examinations that occur in a health care facility can be overwhelming. Proper document management software and systems are critical for keeping it all straight and flowing toward success.

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