EHR Facts

1) Does the EHR have an "Integrated"or "Interfaced" Practice Mgt Information System?
Most Products today that offer an EHR and a Practice Management System are "Interfaced". Interfaced means that there are two separate software programs that send information to one another. There are two basic kinds of Interfaces; 1) Unidirectional (one way) and 2) Bi-Directional (two way). The accepted standard for Interfaces in Healthcare is the HL7 Standard. When a HL7 interface is used, both the EHR program and PM program have to be configured and tweaked in order for the information to flow back and forth properly. Sometimes that involves a third software program that does nothing but just manage the flow of data between the EHR and PM. Almost always when a company offers an Interfaced Product, there are associated costs for maintaining the Interface and for upgrading it. And in some cases you will have to purchase a third program that manages the data flow.

An "Integrated" Product means that the EHR and the PM are both in ONE program. There is no HL7 Interface necessary since the two programs are made together. Typically Integrated Products offer a more natural, less cumbersome transition between Patient Charting and Billing. Because there is only one program and no interface to contend with, they offer more reliability, more functionality, better performance, and no associated Interface costs, either initially or annually.

2) Can you use your EHR out of the office at ALL times with FULL Functionality?
The age old problem when you decide to keep all your Patient Medical Records on a computer is what to do when you have to treat patients outside your office. Since all but 1 EHR programs require you to be connected to the computer server were the EHR program is located, this requires you to either establish a wireless Internet Connection or some other type of connection to the office or web server.

One EHR is different from ALL others in the fact that it allows you to take your Tablet PC or Notebook computer out of the office anywhere and have FULL Functionality of the EHR WITHOUT being connected in any way to the server. Through the use of Microsoft's Data Replication Services all Patient records are automatically synchronized with the server when you get back in the office.

3) Has the EHR been specifically designed to be fully functional on a Tablet PC?
If you plan to use an EHR and take full advantage of its capabilities, you have consider using a Tablet PC in order to be as mobile as possible. And that said, this brings us to the next logical consideration.

While any EHR program that was designed to run on a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System should run on a Tablet PC, that doesn't mean that the EHR will be fully functional nor does it mean that the program has been formatted to fit on the reduced size and orientation of a Tablet PC. This may seem like a less than important matter, however when in the middle of trying to chart a Patient while the Patient is present in the exam room or just simply trying to reduce the time necessary to chart a patient in the EHR, this kind of functionality is highly significant!

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