While electronic medical records are seen by many as the key to integrating the healthcare system of the future, some doctors and small medical facilities have been hesitant to adopt the technology because they lack the same resources as larger institutions. And even though the government is mandating that most healthcare institutions transition to the software by the middle of the decade, providers that don't need to make the switch to the service may be holding out until later and paying a higher cost for it.
For example, U.S. researchers recently demonstrated that healthcare institutions are capable of reducing their overhead costs by switching to EMR software. A fact that may inspire smaller institutions to follow the examples of the larger healthcare facilities that were subject to the study.
The report, which was headed by Dr. Mark Frisse of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, completed with the help of his colleagues and published in the Journal of American Medical Informatics Association, found that when 12 emergency departments shared medical data electronically, they were able to save nearly $2 million over the course of a year.
Speaking about the benefits of EMR software Frisse said the technology "is far more secure and useful than paper, even if it was all in one place."
"Health information exchange ensures that we know exactly who has looked at it, when, where and why," Frisse continued.
Even though the specific research conducted by the doctors was based on results from hospitals, the study goes to show that real savings and information safety benefits can be achieved by making the switch to the software. As a result, small medical facilities may want to speak with a dedicated reseller that is able to offer competitive prices on Lytec, Medisoft and Allscripts software.