Why EHR systems need to be designed with the physician in mind

An emphasis on usability and workflow is critical for an electronic health record (EHR) system to be patient-focused and physician-friendly. There are many reasons why an EHR system needs to be designed with the physician in mind, including being more efficient and effective in producing improved decision-making strategies as well higher quality patient outcomes.

The independent physician who is frustrated with dealing with mountains of data every day needs that data to be in the form of actionable clinical information at the point of care. When an EHR system is designed for the physician, it gives them what they need, when they need it, in an approach that improves care quality, reducing their stress, and decreasing their frustrations.

Elation Health puts physicians first (and it works). Our EHR solutions offer healthcare technology purpose-built for the way physicians deliver excellent care. Learn more about an EHR authentically founded from the heart of a primary care practice and the science of health economics, that is based on humanity, not CPT-codes.

Healthcare experts state that EHRs are typically good at keeping records, essentially keeping track of the care that has been provided to the patient, but they need to be designed to address the provider’s plan for what they want to happen with that patient. Independent physicians need their EHR to be a tool in making their plans for their patients and keeping them on track with making sure it happens.

Many physicians are concerned with the time EHRs take away from their focus on the patient, particularly during the visit. When an EHR system is designed with the physician in mind, it presents the physician with the data and with potential actions that reflect:

• The patient’s condition
• The physician’s preferences
• The medical evidence in that patient’s particular case.

These all save the physicians time and improve the quality of care they are able to provide their patients. Easily analyzing the patient data enables the physician to:

• Discover new treatment
• Uncover safety issues
• Identify unusual clinical findings.

An EHR system designed for the physician, focused on being “plan-centric” would include:

• Care plans that cover a wide range of situations: From the patient living alone to the patient with well-managed diabetes, which would be drastically different from the patient with a supportive family and a patient struggling to control their chronic condition.