Between 2001 and 2013, the use of electronic health records (EHR) by office-based physicians grew by 18%. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), 78% of all office-based physicians used EHR systems. The reason so many healthcare providers and physicians are turning to EHR technology is simple: they improve patient care, diagnostics, and outcomes. Specifically, electronic health records provide:
- Efficient information sharing and access to patient records–even from remote locations
- Reduced risk of illegible documentation, which increases accurate billing and record keeping
- Better communication between insurance and care providers and labs, etc.
- More accurate and reliable prescriptions–which decrease the potential for pharmacy errors
EHRs can also improve patient experience during in-office visits. When doctors use electronic health records, patients don’t need to fill out redundant forms every time they visit the doctor. Similarly, doctors can use e-prescriptions and send them to pharmacies instantly and electronically. Some providers even offer online patient portals to facilitate participation between providers and patients.
How Insurance Companies Are Using EHRs
In 2010, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services announced the rules and regulations for EHR technology and meaningful use in the healthcare industry. Since then, many insurers have started using electronic records to manage data for countless patients and physicians – something they couldn’t do as effectively with pen and paper records. Today, the healthcare industry continues to pursue increase efficiency and decrease patient costs with electronic health records.
Partnering EHR Technology with Data Visualization
As more players in the healthcare field adopt electronic health records, the importance of data visualization has become apparent. According to researchers with the U.S. Army, clinical data visualization is a key component in the usage and delivery of EHRs/EMRs. Here’s why:
- It presents data in a pleasing, easy-to-understand manner
- Digesting and sharing data is faster and simpler
- It reduces the time needed to interpret and understand data points
- It increases the user’s ability to see trends and patterns in patient data
The result is less time managing data and more time using it, which means better care for the most important component: the patient.
Read next: What is Data Visualization?
Keys for Integrating Data Visualization in EHRs
Data visualization makes data simpler. An effective data visualization strategy asks the question, What is the most important information to my users and how should I display it to them? This means you’ll have to identify 1) what key performance indicators (KPIs) you want to display and 2) the best charts, graphs, and layout to present it.
A few key principles are to:
- Determine your audience and learn how they interpret data
- Define use cases throughout the hospital including nursing stations, office, and C-Suite
- Draw attention to key metrics using size, color, and placement of the graph or chart.
- Use drilldowns to dive deeper into the understanding of the data
- Use a variety of charts and graphs to provide visual differentiation of your hospital’s KPIs.
How EHR Dashboards Can Add Value
iDashboards offers data visualization software for professionals and potential partners, including EHR data providers. With data visualization, you can bring clarity to data and deploy it effectively, which means a better product for the end user. When you partner your EHR technology with our data visualization software, the result is a turnkey solution for professionals in the healthcare industry, including insurance providers and physicians. To learn more about partnering data visualization with your EHR or EMR, view our partnership opportunities or get to know our software with a free trial.
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