Addressing Clinician Burnout with EHR Software Efficiency

According to a recent KLAS Collaborative report, early signs of physician burnout can be reduced if healthcare organizations focus on Electronic Health Records Software efficiency. This can be done by providing extra EMR systems training to end users to improve their user experience with the software.

Highlights from the KLAS Collaborative Report

The data from the KLAS research report has been developed by collecting statistics and insights from 20,229 clinicians and 32,782 nurses between January 2022 and August 2023.

The following takeaways have emerged from the report:

• Physicians have noticed a slight decrease in clinician burnout levels from 2022.
• Clinician burnout levels have declined marginally because healthcare organizations have initiated programs that can cut down on burnout levels.
• Staffing shortages are the main reason that can lead to increased burnout.
• Healthcare providers expressed more burnout associated with EMR Software technology as compared to nurses.
• Electronic Medical Records Software can help mitigate burnout by making way for efficient workflows and reducing repetitive tasks due to automation.
• Early stages of physician burnout are easier to manage than full-blown burnout experienced by nurses and clinicians.

The Role of Additional EHR Software Training to Address Clinician Burnout

Additional EMR software training can help reduce clinician fatigue by improving competency and building a positive relationship between healthcare practitioners and technology. With the ability to effectively navigate EHR systems, doctors who have received thorough training can devote more of their time to patient care by cutting down on the amount of time they must spend on administrative duties.

Along with covering the technical aspects of using an EMR Software System, the training process also explores customization choices, workflow optimization, and resolving particular pain points. Training sessions from software vendors foster a supportive environment where clinicians may comfortably employ advanced capabilities, adjust to updates, and provide vital feedback for continued improvement. This is encouraged by continuous learning and communication within healthcare teams.

Epic system earned the top spot in the ambulatory EHR category

2023 best in KLAS report acknowledged Epic as the top Overall Physician Practice Vendor, followed by MEDITECH and athenahealth software.

In the ambulatory electronic health records category Epic software attained the top spot for health system-owned practices. Healthcare software vendor athenahealth ranked first for independent practices (11-75 physicians).

The independent practice market

For the independent practice market, Epic software announced the launch of Garden Plot in 2022. Garden Plot allows small, independent groups to have access to Epic software solutions and take benefit from strong interoperability options. The vendor handles all the hosting and configuration of the system providing an opportunity for independent medical practices to focus on patient care. Garden Plot is available for primary and specialty care groups consisting of more than 40 clinicians.

The acute care EHR software market

In the acute care EMR software market, Epic systems ranked first for large healthcare organizations. Customers using EpicCare ambulatory EMR appreciate the vendor for offering consistent and reliable software updates that have improved overall functionality.

Midsize hospitals also awarded Epic the first spot for the acute care software category. MEDITECH Expanse Acute Care EHR scored 81.9 points and got second position.

Significance of KLAS reports

The Best in KLAS report highlights and recognizes the software vendors that support healthcare professionals and providers who offer high-quality patient care. The rankings are derived from direct feedback from thousands of providers who use EHR systems. Their feedback is based on the vendor’s support team, the functionality of the software, and proactive steps taken to enhance the system. Epic EMR software has excelled to satisfy its users as a complete software solution. The timely reports released by KLAS and performance data provide a gateway into the performance levels of all EHR vendors in the US.

athenaCollector lauded

Among the highest-rated experiences for midsize practices, athenaCollector EMR Software ranked top, according to KLAS midsize report. The report gave athenaCollector a score of 80.6 out of 100. The vendor has been successful in offering a powerful cloud-based solution and enabling smooth updates without disrupting workflows.

Both midsize and independent practices are satisfied with athenaCollector as it offers solutions with high usability and enables them to streamline operations and make way for efficiency.

Large practices satisfied by athenaIDX

The 2022 KLAS report revealed that athenaIDX is a dependable and strong solution for large practices (76+ physicians). The recent updates by the software vendor have helped to enhance user experience and improve overall clinician satisfaction. The respondents gave athenaIDX an overall performance score of 92.6 out of 100. Large practices were also satisfied with the vendor’s ability to quickly respond to any issues for smooth running. Also, for the health system-owned practices athenaIDX has been successful to deliver steady customer satisfaction. The solution was given a score of 88.9, reflecting an increase in customer satisfaction and confidence in the software product.

Other key findings from the KLAS report

• Large practices leveraging Epic Practice Management solution reported a high satisfaction rate. The high satisfaction scores were due to the strong technology solution and the consistent updates from the vendor.
• Large practices reported that NextGen’s Healthcare solution offers powerful reporting features and performs up to the mark as it offers flexibility.
• NextGen Healthcare and athenaCollector propel value through outcomes.
• Epic EMR Software and athenaIDX have managed to drive consistent customer satisfaction. Cerner falls short as customers need to wait for the vendor.
• There was limited data available for MEDITECH however practices found the software system intuitive and stable.

Benefits of using Epic EHR Software for Evangelical Community Hospital

Epic Systems is one of the leading developers of healthcare software solutions and was also ranked the number 1 Electronic Health Records (EHR) solution in 2022 by KLAS research.

Through robust solutions offered by Epic software vendor, the hospital aims to streamline the patient intake process to offer timely access to care for their patients. The transition to Epic EMR software will enhance patient experiences, and patient care, and make the patient intake process efficient.

The integrated platform will enable providers at the community hospital to view all crucial patient information in one single place. This will facilitate clinicians to easily access health information to support patient diagnosis and treatment without any delays. Clinical staff members don’t need to go through the hassle of logging out of one system to another as all information is available in one place. Patients will now have improved access to their information and seamless sharing of medical data related to test results or imaging results with physicians outside of Evangelical Community Hospital.

Access to MyChart

Through the EHR Software implementation, community hospital patients will also gain access to Epic’s patient portal platform, MyChart. The powerful and intuitive MyChart platform has been successful to empower 150 million patients to stay on top of their healthcare journey.

The MyChart patient portal EMR software can be used by patients to,

• Quickly schedule appointments and find the right care.
•  view test results, upcoming appointments, medical bills, and medications in one place.
• Share medical records securely.
• Schedule an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine whenever the patient is eligible.
• Get medical advice from the provider on a HIPAA-compliant two-way messaging platform.
• Request a referral to see a specialist.
•  Electronically check-in to save the patients time when they arrive at the clinic.
• Easy online bill payment.

Currently, patients are using the MyHealth patient portal but once the community hospital goes live with Epic patients will switch to the MyChart patient portal and can benefit by participating throughout their care process. The transition to Epic EHR Software will take place at the community hospital and all primary and specialty care offices that are associated with Evangelical. Tapping Epic will not only streamline daily hospital workflows but will facilitate doctors to do what they love to do and that is taking care of their patients.

To make your life simple, the software experts at EMRSystems have shortlisted the top 5 EMR Software vendors of this year. The list is carefully curated on the basis of authentic user reviews that provide a window inside the user experience.

Capabilities of a Top-Ranked EHR Software system at a Glance

• Provides interoperability options to its users.
• Easy to use for everyone in your practice.
• Offers the right tools to streamline daily workflows.
• Responsive customer support services.
• Training opportunities for small practices.
• The software system is designed to enhance patient engagement and decrease the administrative load.
• The vendor rolls out automatic updates consistently.
• HIPAA Compliant platform for protection and privacy of patient data.
• Meaningful Use (MU) Certified.
• Increases productivity and efficiency.

The US EMR software market is growing rapidly, there is an  89 percent adoption rate. Hospitals, clinics, and providers see these robust software systems as a quick answer to improve overall care delivery and enhance clinical workflows. The availability of real-time patient data has facilitated improving patient care and keeping providers up-to-date with the necessary information that helps to build accurate diagnoses and effective treatment plans.

Top 5 Electronic Medical Records (EMR) software Vendors

1. Epic EMR Software – Epic EMR Software offers cloud-based EHR software solutions to its users. It has a firm reputation in the US software market offering a set of powerful and reliable features such as; order management, patient portal, template-based data entry. Epic also provides telemedicine facilitates that are HIPAA compliant. KLAS ranks Epic’s EHR software as the best software system for consecutive 5 years in a row. Epic is surely a reliable software vendor offering ease of use, interoperability options, and great room for customization.
2. Cerner  – Cerner PowerWorks Practice Management Software is a fully-integrated cloud-based EHR Software platform. It offers integration with third-party apps and systems and users generally like the intuitive interface of the software system. The software vendor provides support services and enhances the physicians charting experience through a variety of tools. Cerner EMR Software is a good option that caters to a variety of medical specialties.
3. CureMD EHR Software – CureMD EHR Software offers EHR software, Practice Management (PM) software solutions. The software platform is user-friendly and can be easily customized according to the specific needs of a practice. It also has a medical billing services solution to improve cash flow and increase profits. The platform is HIPAA compliant and strongly encrypted to protect sensitive patient data. CureMD also provides free support and free training which is a bonus for users.
4. athenahealth EMR software – athenahealth EMR Software offers EHR Software, Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) software, and patient engagement solutions. The software is interoperable to facilitate the seamless exchange of data between systems and providers eventually supporting care coordination. The platform is designed to streamline workflows so the provider can concentrate on patient care.
5. Allscripts EHR Software – Allscripts Professional EHR Software has a good reputation in the US EMR software market and has the right experience to offer outstanding customer services. It offers a variety of EHR software offerings designed for customization. It offers an easy-to-use dashboard and a patient engagement platform.

Medical bots are specifically designed to help with health-related issues and problems. Medical chatbots can serve in a number of ways, they may give health-related information to patients and they can also help to set up online appointments with a preferred health care provider and then send reminder alerts. Some health chatbots may also give a likely diagnosis once the patient tells them about their symptoms. Medical chatbots are a revolution in the healthcare industry.

Medical Chatbots

In recent years, there has been a drastic increase in the number of medical chatbots. In this article, we have prepared a list of the top 6 medical chatbots that are reliable and have automated services in the healthcare sector.

1. Sensely Medical Bot – Sensely is a robust medical bot that can help patients by giving self-care advice once they report their symptoms. Patients can communicate with the bot either using speech and text which makes it unique. Users can also connect Sensely to Bluetooth enabled health devices. For its health information, Sensely has a partnership with Mayo Clinic, which backs up the credibility of the bot as the organization has a great reputation.
2. OneRemission Medical Bot – OneRemission is designed by a New York-based company, with the aim to make the lives of cancer patients easier by providing the right information they need. The app empowers both cancer patients and survivors by providing them with a list of exercises, diets, and post-cancer practices. Patients and survivors can easily search for the benefits of a certain food type. OneRemission also offers its users to consult with an online oncologist round the clock.
3. Florence Medical Bot – Florence was launched in the year 2017 and the chatbot has been used rapidly over the years. The chatbot is named after Florence Nightingale and performs all the tasks of a nurse. Florence reminds patients to take their pills on time and track their body weight and moods. Florence also has added features such as locating a nearby pharmacy and clinician. The chatbots also tell patients what to do if they miss their medication dosage. Florence is available on Facebook, Skype, Messenger, and Kik. The chatbot is best for patients who need to take a number of medications and elderly family members who live alone and need reminders to take their pills on time.
4. Ada Health Medical Bot – Ada’s system connects medical knowledge with intelligent technology. The bot asks simple questions and helps users find possible explanations for their symptoms. Ada has a medical library that has medical information for patients to understand and manage their health. When you tell the symptoms and the bot gives a possible diagnosis then it will help the user book an online appointment with a health practitioner. It has a rating 0f 4.8 out of 5 on iTunes and users feel it is very accurate and helpful.
5. Forksy Medical Bot – Forksy is a chatbot that helps to track a person’s calorie intake and therefore promotes healthy eating habits. It tells users about the benefit of the food they eat and the number of calories it contains. It automates your nutritional coaching process through artificial intelligence (AI). Forksy is available on Facebook Messenger and is best for users who want to lose weight and track their daily nutritional intake.
6. Buoy Health Medical Bot – Buoy Health chatbot helps to diagnose their symptoms by using algorithm backed medical data and hence the information available is more accurate and reliable as compared to the internet. When the user enters their symptoms that chatbot replies in real-time like a human healthcare provider. Buoy Health then offers appropriate solutions after analyzing the user’s medical state.

The Future of Medical Chatbots

In today’s busy world and amidst the pandemic it has become difficult to visit the doctor due to fear of catching the virus. Chatbots make customer interaction easy and patients want convenience from their homes. Medical chatbots provide a window of opportunity for patients to check their health conditions and analyze their symptoms without having to visit the hospital facility. With more and more technology advancements we can expect medical chatbots to offer improved features and functionalities to completely support the healthcare environment.

Healthcare organizations need to up their game when it comes to security and protection of ‎sensitive patient data and takes necessary cybersecurity measures for practicing telemedicine. ‎

How to Prevent Cyber Attacks?‎

It is very important that telemedicine providers implement the most effective cybersecurity ‎policies to prevent hackers from stealing patient information. A secure and protective ‎infrastructure needs to be created by the IT teams to allow effective and protective ‎communication between providers and patients. The security measures apply to both the ‎hardware and software of telemedicine including websites, patient portals, and cloud storage. ‎Once the policies have been implemented it is crucial that the doctors and staff receive training ‎on a consistent basis to stay updated on the policies. The providers also need strong back-up ‎procedures and robust passwords that protect against hacking threats.‎

HIPAA Compliance in Telemedicine for security ‎

HIPAA was designed to protect patient data round the clock. It is important to consider that ‎even if the provider’s network is secure the patient uses non-secure devices like mobile phones to ‎connect with their telehealth physician. Data security is extremely vital in telemedicine as patients ‎connect with their healthcare provider through communication channels that are not encrypted ‎to privacy. The challenge for telemedicine providers is to identify patients who adapt to HIPAA. ‎Furthermore, IT professionals can further intact security by keeping patient data anonymous ‎which will inhibit hackers to prey the confidential material. ‎

Resources:

Telemedicine and Cybersecurity: Keeping Health Data Safe. (2020). Retrieved 31 March 2020, from https://prognocis.com/telemedicine-and-cybersecurity-keeping-health-data-safe/‎

Mackiewicz, A. (2020). Essential Cyber Security Tips for Telemedicine Practitioners – ASG Information Technologies. Retrieved 31 March 2020, from https://www.asgct.com/essential-cyber-security-tips-for-telemedicine-practitioners/

‎Robinson, J. (2020). Why You Must Consider Cyber-Security for Telehealth | Healthcare Tech. Retrieved 31 March 2020, from https://cliniciantoday.com/why-you-must-consider-cyber-security-for-telehealth/‎

Making Cybersecurity a Priority in Telemedicine Initiatives – Healthcare Business Today. (2020). Retrieved 31 March 2020, from https://www.healthcarebusinesstoday.com/cybersecurity-telemedicine-initiatives/‎

HIPAA Compliance and the latest advancements in the Healthcare IT industry have successfully reduced security concerns. According to the 2019 report by patientengagementhit.com, more than 60% of patients were given access to their health records.

Features of Patient Portal Software

Easy Access to Medical Records – The aforementioned report also shows that 90% of patient portals show lab results. More than 75% offer updated medication lists, show visit summaries, and display problem lists. More than 50% show clinician notes.

Templates – Digitized surveys, intake forms, and before and after encounter general health assessment forms.

Appointment Scheduling – Patient Portal Software offers smart live appointment scheduling on the basis of slots available.

e-Prescription & Refills – Patient Portal Software offers a dedicated prescription renewal request module. through the portal. The request for refills can also be responded through the portal.

Medical Billing – Patient Portal Software should automatically conduct collections online and process those payments once they’re submitted.

Secure Messaging – Patient Portal Software should offer HIPAA Compliant messaging portal for messaging between doctor and patient.

Patient Engagement – Patient Portal Software is liable to improve patient satisfaction, self-care, and increase commitment to getting treatments.

Streamlined Communication – Patient portals Software should reduce the amount of time spent on transferring information to patients and prevent miscommunications.

Security Regulations – Software should offer robust security protocols of data transferred to a patient portal.

Use across Care Settings – Patients should be offered secured access to harmonize data they received while treatment between multiple practices for different things rather than having a need to create multiple login credentials to access the patient portal of each provider.

Top 10 Patient Portal Software By EMRSystems

EMRSystems values its customers and has compiled a list of the 10 best and top-rated Patient Portal Software solutions for physician practices in 2020. The list is completely based on authentic customer reviews and ratings:

• Epic EHR Software’s MyChart

• athenahealth EMR Software’s athenaCommunicator

• PrognoCIS EMR Software

• Cerner Specialty Practice Management Software

• eClinicalWorks EMR Software’s Patient Portal and Healow App

• Greenway PrimeSUITE EHR Software

• NextGen Healthcare EHR Software

• Allscripts Professional EHR Software

• CureMD EHR Software

When selecting an Electronic Health Records (EHR) or Practice Management (PM) software based on its patient portal it is important to make a selection that is user-friendly, secure and offers features that will facilitate patient engagement.systems. Based on our conversations with the practitioners and medical officers, most of them find these features (besides a few) as redundant or irrelevant and often perceive them as a marketing gimmick. Our advice is to actually look at your clinical and administrative workflow to determine the aspects of the Patient Portal System you need and also consult your provider to ensure that the Patient Portal Software you are choosing only provides relevant features and not more than what you need.

Dermatologists specialize in treating skin conditions. The bulk of their recording is lab and image tests so patient records need to be kept up to date. Paper records are prone to get lost or being disorganized. Dermatology EMR software makes it easier to digitize the records so they are easy to organize and secure.

Quality of care being one of the main concerns for a dermatology practice industry, a research done by The DermEngine Team shows that with the integration of Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Analytics in Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Software the early detection and treatment of conditions (e.g. skin cancer) have become much easier. According to the report, this has improved the quality of care by 88%.

Features Of Dermatology EMR Software

There are a few features that complete a dermatology specific EHR solution, providing you a platform to handle patient information and data effectively and efficiently. The IT professionals and researchers at EMRSystem have highlighted a list of key features that are present in a top-rated Dermatology Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Software.

Customized Templates – As a dermatologist you are exposed to treating various skin conditions from rashes to insect bites, meaning your patients’ needs vary. With specialized templates available, the treatment of patients can be easier and quicker because the content you need is just a click away from you.

Personalized Dashboards – This feature aids to manage the day to day tasks. Through the personalized dashboard, you can review tasks and assign tasks to other staff members.

Lab Integration – Lab connections through your EMR help to receive quicker lab results and hence patients can receive treatment faster.

Practice Management Solutions– Dermatology specific Practice Management (PM) solutions support a fast and effective way to finish and manage clinical tasks and document patient encounters.

Patient Engagement tools – Patient engagement features like the patient portal helps patients to get some control over their healthcare process. Patients can schedule appointments online and communicate with their caregiver through messaging, email or video on a secured platform.

Billing Services – Automated billing provides advanced functionalities for claim checks, e-claim submission, and denial management to reduce any financial human errors.

Comparison Imaging – Dermatology is heavily reliant on imaging. EHR software targeted towards dermatologists has advanced image recording as well as before and after comparisons to track progress, making it easier to sync with a digital camera.

Coding – The nature of diseases is changing with new disease rearing their heads more often than not. Multi-purpose Electronic Medical Records software (EMR) can’t always keep up with ICD-10 coding for these diseases. Specialty-specific software needs to be up-to-date with these codes.

Digital Graphing – Not every dermatological case is the same. Since it is a visual specialty the EMR software should support a form of graphic charting with a digital-pen, or touch screen drawing boards to make graphics charting easier.

Charting Progress – With the whole visual field of pictures and graphics drawings at your fingertips it makes it easier to analyze a patient’s history and progress reports within minutes.

Top 10 Dermatology EMR Software by EMRSystems

The top 10 Dermatology specific EMR Software solutions for small practices have the above-integrated features for removing any communication barriers and streamlining clinical, administrative and financial workflows. Small practices have low margins for any errors as compared to large medical practices.

• Epic EMR Software

• Athenahealth EMR Software 

• Modernizing Medicine’s Healthcare IT Suite

• Kareo Clinical EHR

• AdvancedMD EMR Software

• EZDERM EHR Software

• Nextech EMR Software

• Praxis EMR Software

• Compulink Dermatology Advantage EMR Software

• WRS Health EMR Software

Dermatology Electronic Health Record software (EHR) and Practice Management Software available in the market are in hundreds and they provide a lot of features. Based on our conversations with the practitioners and medical officers, most of them find these features (besides a few) as redundant or irrelevant and often perceive them as a marketing gimmick. Our advice is to actually look at your clinical and administrative workflow to determine the aspects of the EHR you need and also consult your provider to ensure that the Internal medicine Software you are choosing only provides relevant features and not more than what you need.

The market share report also stated that most of the healthcare practice, hospitals and organizations that signed on for a new EHR Software implementation in 2018, whether they were large or small, government-run or private-sector, chose for Cerner or Epic EHR software systems.

Here’s what the KLAS report had to say about the major EMR systems’ players:

Epic EHR Software

Epic EHR software continues to dominate the private-sector market, especially with large hospitals and health systems. That market (inpatient facilities with 500 beds or more) is not quite as active with new installs, but those organizations that do opt for a replacement system “almost exclusively choose Epic.”
Large organizations across the U.S. have by now spend billions for an integrated enterprise-wide platform. This means that any future changes of direction would require “significant rip and replace,” according to KLAS, and that, practically speaking, narrows the choices to Epic and its competitors. The market share of the top 4 EMR software vendors is as follows:

• Epic (163 hospitals)
• Cerner (77 hospitals)
• Allscripts (16 hospitals)
• MEDITECH (12 hospitals)

Allscripts Professional EHR Software

14 hospitals chose to trade Allscripts’ Sunrise Clinical Manager platform in favor of Epic in 2018, according to the report, while 16 providers traded the Paragon system which was accquired by McKesson in 2017 for other vendors. The company has phased out McKesson’s Horizon technology, meanwhile, and the three hospitals who opted to replace that system this past year didn’t stick with Allscripts.

“In terms of new sales, one small IDN and one standalone hospital chose SCM in 2018, and one athenahealth customer moved back to Paragon. Over the last few years, several specialty hospitals have chosen SCM; many choose the solution for the amount of customization it offers.”

athenahealth EMR Software

athenahealth hopefully marks the tail end of two years of activist investor tumult. As it looks toward the future, the top EMR vendor needs to fill various loopholes.

“Critical access hospitals have chosen athenahealth in recent years, though energy tapered off significantly in the latter half of 2018, with organizations reporting that athenahealth has paused sales and stopped responding to RFPs,” stated the KLAS research team. The future of the company remains indecisive due to different shifts in the market trends.

Cerner EHR Software

The top EHR software Cerner got the most new hospital clients in 2018, but customer attrition tamped down its net gains in market share, according to the report. Much of its growth this past year came thanks to the finalization of its deal with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – giving Cerner 147 new acute care and 20 specialty hospitals to outfit with new technology.

39% of the Cerner market is because of government contracts and affiliations. The flip side, however, is that it was “chosen by fewer organizations in the private sector, the majority being smaller hospitals. 65 hospitals left Millennium in 2018 (52 of which came from two health systems); the vast majority moved to Epic.”

MEDITECH EMR Software

One of the oldest EHR software MEDITECH celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and is holding up in the market thanks in large part to its recent web-based Expanse technology, which has “proven compelling to both legacy MEDITECH customers and those outside the MEDITECH base,” according to KLAS researchers.

“For the second year in a row, a number of organizations outside of MEDITECH’s base – mostly small to midsize hospitals – chose Expanse. In addition, 19 legacy hospitals migrated to Expanse (out of the 53 MEDITECH hospitals that were part of a go-forward decision in 2018).”