EHR Software are now being developed and updated to help Healthcare systems and hospitals provide and extend quality care in the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. These hospitals have EHR features and tools that help support streamlining screenings and offering rapid communication between medical health providers. Healthcare systems are rapidly using their EHRs to adapt to a rise in clinical demands and to support the standard management of patients effectively.

Major hospitals in the United States

Let’s take a look at how these four major hospitals in the United States have adopted EHR tools to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

  1. UChicago Medicine – Through its EHR system UChicago Medicine executed a virtual screening questionnaire for its patients who were worried about showing the symptoms of the virus. The screenings mainly classify patients into three categories, and from there, the hospital can efficiently determine which patient group needs to be tested for COVID-19.
  2. UC San Diego Health – Researchers designed tools in response to coronavirus within their Epic EMR Software. These specific features include screening protocols, system-level built-in EHR templates, ambulatory order panels, reporting and analytics; and communication channels. These technology-based tools help to provide real-time tracking of transmissions and help manage the coronavirus pandemic.
  3. UMass Memorial Medical Center – Based in Worcester, the medical center brought into effective action a new function in its EHR system to allow clinicians to send messages related to medical questions to an infection control provider. These messages can be attached to patient names, allowing the on-call health care provider to access the patient’s medical records easily and hence recommend and offer treatment.
  4. Providence – Providence created an EHR toolkit when they had their very first case of COVID-19 in late January. The EHR screening tool designed by the health care system inquires patients about any recent symptoms and travel history to detect any probable cases of COVID-19.

EHR optimization is extremely crucial for healthcare systems all over the world to improve clinical productivity, improve patient outcomes, and extend care remotely.

Resources:

Drees, J., 2020. How 4 Hospitals Are Using Their Ehrs To Optimize COVID-19 Care: Hospitals And Health Systems Across The U.S. Have Developed EHR Features In Response To The Growing COVID-19 Pandemic, From Streamlining Screenings To Facilitating Quicker Communication Between Specialists.. [online] Beckershospitalreview.com. Available at: <https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/ehrs/how-4-hospitals-are-using-their-ehrs-to-optimize-covid-19-care.html> [Accessed 28 April 2020].

EHRIntelligence. 2020. Using EHR Optimization To Counter Coronavirus Outbreak. [online] Available at: <https://ehrintelligence.com/news/using-ehr-optimization-to-address-limit-coronavirus-outbreak> [Accessed 28 April 2020].

Guillot. (2020). 5 Ways Healthcare Tech Is Helping Tackle Coronavirus. Retrieved 28 April 2020, from https://healthtechmagazine.net/article/2020/02/5-ways-healthcare-tech-helping-tackle-coronavirus