Oncology/Hematology EMR Software Solution

EMR software occupies a vital position to improve the delivery of oncological care. The robust system is specifically designed to collect accurate data to support the provider’s decision-making and future cancer research.

A generic software will not be the best fit for an oncology practice. So oncologists looking to enhance cancer care, and streamline daily workflows should deploy an Oncology/Hematology EMR Software. The fully integrated technology is set to empower quality care delivery in the challenging oncology environment.

Functionalities offered by Oncology EHR

The oncology ecosystem is highly complex. Oncologists require a software solution with specific features to support patient care and enable oncology practices to thrive.

Let’s look into the important features that help with oncology care and meet both clinical and administrative requirements.

• The effective capture and management of patient information including demographic, and clinical data.
• Clinical Decision Support (CDS) tools and scheduling for chemotherapy prescription and administration.
•  ONC-ATCB certification.
• Provider note templates.
• Trial drug management.
• Safety alerts.
• Automated dosage calculation.
• Advanced reporting and analytics.
• Comprehensive patient engagement tools.

Integrated EMR Software for Effective Cancer Management

An integrated software solution is the best way to bridge any gaps in cancer care and make way for efficient care delivery vital to improving health outcome levels.  Moreover, an integrated EHR system can positively influence the clinical and billing processes of an oncology practice.

Support Care Coordination and Bridge Gaps between Care Settings

A cancer patient can go through transitions between different care environments such as long-term care, ambulatory, and acute care settings. An integrated electronic medical records solution ensures that everyone involved in the patient’s care delivery process has seamless and secure access to a patient’s entire health history and information.

Streamline Complex Care

Integrated EHR technology offers additional tools which can simplify care to manage difficult treatment regimens. Customized flow sheets based on the patient’s diagnosis, and flexible data summaries with key patient information can help oncologists to simplify cancer care and ensure to offer satisfying patient care.

Improve patient safety levels

By providing real-time information on drug interactions, allergies, and dose requirements, EHRs can assist to prevent medication errors. This improves patient safety and lowers the chance of adverse medication effects.

Moving Ahead

To sum it all up, EHRs in oncology care increase communication, streamline workflows, enable data-driven decisions, and ultimately improve patient outcomes and care quality.

With July being the sarcoma and bone cancer awareness month, we hope that those fighting this deadly disease overcome it with amazing strength from within and support from family and caregivers. Remember that cancer is not stronger than you!

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Virtual Care

The global pandemic propelled telehealth visits; their adaptation rates had risen 78 times in two months from April 2020. Telemedicine and virtual care solutions were the best way to offer prompt and safe care to patients remotely. Technology can play a critical part in delivering safe and effective care to patients. However, it is important to note that remote care technology cannot completely replace in-person visits. Therefore, for optimal care, there needs to be a combination of both virtual care and face-to-face consultations depending upon a patient’s needs, preferences, and healthcare conditions.

5 Main Benefits of the Hybrid Care Model

Both patients and healthcare professionals can benefit from the hybrid care model in several ways. Here are a few benefits worth taking a read:

1. Increased access to care: Hybrid care encourages the use of telemedicine sessions where possible. This helps to improve care access as patients can receive remote care despite their geographical location, and mobility issues.
2. Convenience and flexibility: Virtual care appointments can be scheduled easily online. A person can select between visiting the clinic or booking virtual sessions based on preferences, and health conditions giving flexibility to patients.
3. Enhanced patient engagement levels: Active patient participation is promoted in hybrid care. Patients may easily manage their health parameters, obtain instructional materials, and contact their healthcare providers thanks to remote monitoring, wearable devices, and internet resources. Individuals are more empowered to take charge of their health and make informed decisions about their well-being as a result of this greater participation.
4. Cost savings: The care delivery model has the potential to save money for both patients and healthcare systems. When compared to in-person visits, virtual consultations frequently offer lower consultation fees, and patients save money on transportation, parking, and lost workdays. Furthermore, healthcare facilities can maximize their resources and lessen the load on physical infrastructure, resulting in cost savings.
5. Reduced wait times: With Telemedicine EMR Software sessions, patients can easily avoid lengthy wait times in the hospital’s waiting room. This can greatly improve the patient experience.

The necessary workflows required to make hybrid care a success

A hospital must establish a comprehensive patient workflow that can seamlessly support both virtual and in-person consultations. These include:

• Easy online appointment scheduling facility
• Automated or digital patient registration and check-in process
• Utilize the appointment reminder feature in the PM software to combat the issue of no-shows.
• 2-way text messaging platform
• Effective follow-up after appointments to receive patient feedback, and identify any issues immediately.

The Future of hybrid care

The hybrid care model has gained popularity in recent years, owing to technological improvements and rising demand for distant healthcare services. It seeks to bridge the gap between traditional healthcare delivery and the benefits of virtual care, thereby providing a more flexible and patient-centered approach to healthcare.

This is also true for the field of oncology. Cancer care delivery has been improving with the development of new drugs and therapeutics. Now care can be delivered beyond the walls of hospitals with the implementation of remote care technology and Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Software.

The Role of AI-powered Chatbots in cancer care

AI-powered healthcare chatbots play a significant role in cancer care by providing support, information, and personalized assistance to patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Chatbots can support cancer care in the following ways:

• AI-driven chatbots can be used by healthcare organizations to provide accurate information and education to patients. Access to readily available information about cancer care, and supportive care can greatly empower patients throughout their care journey.
• Chatbots can help patients with symptom management by offering guidance and intervention strategies.
• Patients suffering from cancer require emotional support to battle the deadly disease. Bots can provide that kind of emotional support by providing compassionate responses and listening to the patient.
• Healthcare organizations have leveraged AI-enabled chatbots to manage follow-up visits and send automatic reminders to patients. This helps to streamline the scheduling process and also combat the issue of patient no-shows.
• Chatbots can help improve medication adherence by reminding them to take their medications on time. Timely intake of medication can boost health outcome levels.
• By checking eligibility requirements and delivering pertinent information, chatbots can assist in matching suitable patients with active clinical trials and research activities. This can improve access to innovative medicines while also promoting cancer research.

‘Penny’ Chatbot to Enhance Cancer Care

To enhance cancer care Penn Medicine uses an AI-powered chatbot, Penny. Penny is an algorithmically propelled intelligent chatbot aiming to improve medication adherence and manage toxicities to deliver high-quality patient care.

Penny leverages text-based, two-way interactions to assist patients through complex schedules and reduce any chances of mistakes through chemotherapy courses.

What can chatbot Penny do?

The AI-driven chatbot can address any issues with medication adherence and dosing. The chatbot sends medication reminders twice a day to patients so they take their medications without delay.

The chatbot also started a weekly survey to identify patient-reported symptoms aiming to resolve the toxicities which could arise with oral anti-cancer agents.

Results of the AI Chatbot

The following positive results were achieved by using the bot in the field of oncology:

• 4,000 medication-related messages were exchanged.
• 93% of the messages were correctly interpreted.
• Patient engagement in symptom assessment was raised.

Moving ahead

Chatbots in healthcare offer many benefits to both providers and patients. They can reduce waiting time, and assist clinicians by providing them with quick access to critical information.

While AI-enabled chatbots provide vital support in cancer care, they are not designed to replace human healthcare professionals. Instead, they supplement existing care by giving cancer patients with accessible, timely, and personalized help.

How does an EHR system work?

Electronic medical records software has replaced traditional paper-based records. The paper-based records were inefficient and took up lots of office space.

EHR solutions have patient data digitally stored in them. The system allows healthcare providers to enter patient data and easily update it. The records include all important patient details such as family history, medication history, allergies, and lab tests that support the patient’s diagnosis and treatment path.

Key features in EMR software

A top-ranked and modern Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Software system will offer the following functionalities to optimize workflows and enhance productivity levels:

• Cloud-based functionality
• Full-featured mobile app
• Care management tools
• Charting features such as voice recognition capabilities
• E-Rx tools
• Seamless integration with controlled substance database
• Patient scheduling
• Appointment reminders
• MIPS support
• Patient Portal
• Billing features
• HIPAA-compliance

EHR software benefits clinicians

• Quick access to patient records – The use of EMR technology by providers offer them prompt access to patient records. This way they are well-informed to provide the right patient diagnosis and treatment.
• Supports care coordination – Interoperability options in the software solution enable providers to seamlessly exchange patient data with other providers. When doctors can work together they can communicate crucial data at the right time, reducing fragments in care. Care needs to be coordinated when there is follow-up care after an emergency and when the patient’s primary care provider needs to communicate with multiple specialists for a chronic health condition.
• Financial benefits – According to a study published by the American Journal of Medicine, using EMR software offers a positive return on the financial investment made. There have been savings in drug expenditure, reduced billing errors, and efficient recording.

EMR System advantages for patients

• Improved patient safety – EHR-integrated alerts can streamline transitions of care, and chronic care management, and enhance patient safety levels. The alerts functionality informs nurses when duplicate or wrong medicines are getting administered. This reduces the possibility of adverse drug events and improves health outcome levels.
• Better security and patient privacy – HIPAA-compliant EMR software offers end-to-end encryption of sensitive patient data. Digital records offer better security and hence peace of mind to patients.

Moving ahead

Electronic health records software has improved hospitals’ operations and provided them with new avenues to improve patient care through AI tools. Many EMR vendors are working hard to offer the best features, innovations, updates, and support to providers so they can offer high-quality patient care.

 CDS tools essential in healthcare

CDS tools in Electronic Medical Records software empower clinicians by keeping them well-informed. According to researchers, CDS tools are a vital part of EHR systems, which leverage technology to find meaningful information for improved patient care, and accurate clinical decision-making.

Advantages of CDS EMR alerts

Identify adverse drug events

EMR-integrated CDS functionality can help prevent adverse drug events (ADEs). Medication-related alerts and reminders can reduce up to 81 percent of medication errors.

Improved patient safety

A literature review of 41 texts revealed that CDS alerts were appropriate for patient outcomes and provider practice performance for diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart ailments.  CDS tools are also effective for prescribing medication to patients.

CDS alerts had a positive impact on the treatment of cardiovascular disease and physician performance. The brief message reminders and alerts improved medication prescribing and patient diet for better heart health.

For patients with diabetes, short message alerts enhanced medication adherence and reduced missed dosages. CDS EHR alerts are improving patient medication adherence as they keep patients mindful of taking their medication at the right time. This can ultimately enhance health outcome levels and improve quality of life.

Enhanced patient awareness

Electronic health records integrated CDS tools have proven to boost cardiovascular risk factor awareness in the field of oncology. The powerful alert tools can even enhance cardiovascular health for breast cancer survivors, according to research by Stanford.

Clinician burnout associated with CDS alerts

CDS EMR alerts have numerous benefits for clinicians, however, they can result in clinician burnout. These alerts are linked to alerts fatigue and increased usage of EMR software.

To overcome clinician burnout related to CDS EHR alerts it is advised that they should be customized with specific patient data to reduce the number of notifications received. As with any healthcare technology and electronic medical records systems, CDS tools require continued optimization and updates to follow medical standards and improve their effectiveness.