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While the healthcare industry has taken its own sweet time in implementing technological advances for the benefit of both administrators and patients alike, there’s no denying the rippling positive impact the right healthcare software can have on an organisation’s functioning. 

Moreover, for hospitals and clinicians truly committed to patient care and positive patient outcomes, the right EMR software can prove to be invaluable. In fact, because of the technological innovations brought about by software such as The HealthScore, administrators, and patients have reported higher levels of satisfaction with their healthcare experience.

In a country like India, where volumes of patients are extremely high, especially in the public health care system, care facilities often do not have the systems or the bandwidth to capture basic patient information such as consultation dates and times, patient vitals, or conditions diagnosed and treated.

The trouble with that scenario is that it often leads to serious obstacles in a patient’s care, such as overtreatment or undertreatment of a patient, duplicate prescriptions, misdiagnosis of ailments, and increased costs for patients and care facilities.

When high volumes come into the picture, easy access to data becomes essential, because it facilitates timely interventions, transparency between specialties, and the provision of a holistic picture regarding a patient’s condition and progress.

The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers – also known as the NABH – mandates a strict framework with regard to the standardisation and documentation of processes, policies, protocol, etc. in order for a care facility to be accredited.

With an EMR in place, a care facility can ensure compliance with NABH patient care and quality standards from the time it is deployed at the facility.

Improving patient safety has been an ongoing focus for healthcare providers across the world, regardless of their specialty

“Patient safety is a critical outcome that requires several systems of infrastructure, support, training, and implementation working together,” says Chiamala Aravamudhan, CEO at cSoft Technologies. “An EMR software is a central space where all of these various factors can converge for the patient’s benefit, along with the health team’s benefit.”

Take, for example, an instance of a pharmacist filling a doctor’s prescription for a heart patient. If given on a handwritten note, the prescription is susceptible to being misread, with the wrong medication going out. The same goes for post-hospitalization and follow-up instructions.

“A hospital that mandates the use of an EMR in its operations can significantly improve its patient safety outcomes by reducing human errors like these,” says Chiamala. “With digital healthcare software, doctors and medical staff must type in their instructions and list of prescribed medications. This one step essentially eliminates any problems with misinterpreting verbal or written instructions.”

In more technologically advanced hospitals, patients are assigned scannable bracelets that are linked to their profiles on the EMR, allowing medical staff to recall and review their medical history with great accuracy.

“The entire process of healthcare, including consultations and follow-ups and treatments, can be overwhelming and exhausting for patients,” says Namrata Arora, a Hyderabad resident. “I’ve found that when the responsibility for scheduling blood work or any other tests is left up to me, I let it slide. But if someone can hand-hold me through appointments or paperwork, it’s easier to get them done.”

From a patient-care perspective, Ms. Arora makes a strong point. The process of post-consultation follow-ups needs to be made easier for patients in order to retain them and in order to provide a higher degree of care.

An EMR can prove to be extremely valuable for any post-consultation steps that need to be taken for a patient, for example placing lab and prescription orders. For example, with The HealthScore App, doctors can order lab reports and update prescriptions with a one-tap option. Meanwhile, patients have the ability to upload their reports and records with equal ease. 

When supported with a strong EMR, the entire process of patient registration and billing is easier to navigate, for patients and for the administrative staff.

Through HealthScore’s app deployment, we’ve seen patient wait times in hospital registration queues reduce drastically because we’ve enabled one-tap registering. In fact, most patients are able to register themselves in 90 seconds or less.

Moreover, with an EMR facilitating documentation such as tests, prescriptions, and consultation records, billing becomes far easier and more efficient to manage as well. When carried out at scale, smoother workflows result in saved resources with time and money.

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When enabled and implemented thoughtfully and with precision, digital healthcare software can lead to better patient safety outcomes, better delivery of care, and a more efficient workforce. 

Our own clients have seen an over 50% increase in patient satisfaction rates, from a care receiving and an administrative perspective. If you’re ready to see similar outcomes for your healthcare facility, reach out to our team and we’ll help you get started.

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