4 Ways eClinicalWorks Can Improve Patient and Physician Communication

Instead of simply offering an EHR system that collects information, eClinicalWorks EMR includes many tools that help healthcare providers and patients access information in order to make better healthcare decisions and improve the revenue cycle operations. With a single, unified database, eClinicalWorks EMR links patient demographics, medical records, insurance information, billing, and claims information.

A major goal of EHR initiatives is streamlining patient flow, from the moment he makes an appointment until his account is paid in full. With eClinicalWorks EMR, workflows from the reception desk to the back office are seamlessly integrated.

The system is designed to be convenient and easy to use as well, incorporating drop-down lists, templates, and multiple communications tools. Following are 4 ways eClinicalWorks EHR facilitates patient and physician communication.

1. By Giving Patients an Online Portal for Accessing Their Health Data

A recent Harris poll of 2,000 adults in the US found that a majority of patients want online access to their healthcare providers, whether for accessing records, finding answers to questions, or taking care of tasks like scheduling appointments.

The same poll found overwhelming physician support for allowing patient access to medical records online. Three-quarters of physicians like tools such as those in eClinicalWorks EMR that issue automatic alerts and reminders to patients about appointments, and a majority believe that allowing online access for scheduling or changing appointments is a benefit to their practice.

2. By Streamlining the Referral Process

eClinicalWorks EMR includes tools for making the referral process better for doctors and patients. Not only can physicians easily set up referrals, they can also attach lab results, radiology results, or other helpful documents for use by specialists.

Features are also built into eClinicalWorks for specialists, allowing them to easily track whether patients go to their specialist appointments and to help patients with rescheduling when necessary.

Secure transmission of information between general practice doctors and specialists is considered essential by doctors and patients, and patients are more likely to follow up knowing their primary doctor and specialists are in communication with each other.

3. By Making Electronic Prescribing Convenient for All Parties

Integrating EHRs with electronic prescribing makes sense for today's healthcare facility. With e-prescribing, prescriptions are transmitted directly from a doctor's computer to a pharmacy's computer system before patients even leave the office, so there's no dropping off at a pharmacy required, and wait times can be substantially reduced.

Furthermore, e-prescribing tools like those included with eClinicalWorks EMR let physicians learn which medications are covered by patient insurance before writing prescriptions, maximizing patient compliance while helping them keep costs down. It eliminates faxes and lost prescriptions and gives pharmacies a head start in filling patient prescriptions.

4. By Offering Integration With Wearable Fitness Devices

Wearable electronics like smartwatches are becoming more popular, and are used largely as health and fitness monitoring tools. eClinicalWorks EMR recently announced that it will now allow integration of data from patient wearable devices with their medical records.

Patients can upload data into the Health and Online Wellness platform, which transmits smartwatch data to their records. When physicians have accurate information about patient activity and habits, they can make better informed decisions and help improve patient outcomes. Wearables are still new, but the technology holds much promise for people who want to take more control of their health and wellness.

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