When it comes to choosing an electronic health record (EHR) system, healthcare providers have two options: a client-server EHR or an EHR system where the software is hosted in the cloud by the vendor. However, both of these systems have numerous, undeniable advantages over paper records. Cloud-based EHR systems outperform client-server models because they benefit small practices significantly more. Healthcare professionals have discovered that cloud EHR technology has the potential to cut operational costs.
What is the Importance of Electronic Health Records?
Patient health data such as demographics, medical history, diagnoses, medications, prescriptions, allergy lists, documents, and lab results are collected, stored, and managed by the best electronic health records software. The goal of an EHR is to organize patient data so that healthcare providers can easily review a patient’s record before or during an appointment. Electronic health records (EHRs) have the potential to reduce the amount of time healthcare providers spend on paperwork. The article discusses some of the advantages of electronic health records. The Best EHR Software can improve performance by streamlining routine tasks, reducing errors, and speeding up data access/entry, all of which can result in significant cost savings.
The Client-Server EHR Issue
Many clinics and health practices are grappling with the rising cost and complexity of managing their on-premise EHR systems in order to support functionally, keep them up to date, at adequate capacity, and in compliance with evolving laws. The difficulty of maintaining data integrity and backups grow as data volumes grow, consuming time and money. Dedicated support staff and operational policies must be implemented and enforced to keep the system operational at all times. Data security mechanisms must be in place and constantly monitored.
The Benefits of a Cloud-Based EHR
Flexibility
Cloud computing, networking, and storage services are scalable, ad hoc, and geographically redundant. Healthcare organizations pay for what they require when they require it, with no upfront capital investment. Because any IT system needs to be updated every 3-5 years, these cost savings can be very appealing. These potential issues are usually resolved because cloud EHR can quickly scale to accommodate changing data masses while lowering the technical cost of enduring.
Price reductions
Installing a client-server-based EHR for a small practice can be difficult due to the upfront costs associated with setting up the IT environment. The initial costs of cloud-based EHR systems are zero or low. Client-server EHRs would require the practice to buy or lease costly hardware. Regular monitoring and testing of hardware and software are required, necessitating the hiring of IT personnel. With a cloud-based EHR, the EHR vendor pays for all of the system’s operating expenses. Hardware, maintenance, or the hiring of IT personnel are not required.
Cost predictability
The cost of a client-based EHR can be unpredictable. If servers fail by accident or there is an increase in volume that necessitates additional capacity upgrades, the costs can quickly mount. Because cloud-based EHR has a consistent price, the practice can be more confident about its financial situation.
Ease of Use
Implementing and maintaining a client-server EHR system can be challenging. The process of expanding the practice can also be costly. All that is required for a cloud-based EHR is that the practice staff access the system through a secure website or client software. Transitioning to an
Conclusion
The amount of time, money, and labor required to change the way your practice operates can be intimidating at first. However, with cloud-based EHRs, much of the burden is transferred to the EHR vendor, allowing doctors and practices to spend more time with patients.
