With the push to move medical records to an electronic format, many medical practices find themselves faced with overwhelming technology decisions and cost. Implementing a full electronic system can be daunting, with required investments that are out of reach. Some practices are looking to alternative solutions to allow them to provide electronic medical records without disrupting their current medical practice. By implementing enterprise content management, medical practices can create electronic files of their existing paper records, electronically add images of patient insurance cards, and keep up with paperwork, such as HIPPA acknowledgements, without replacing the entire practice management system.

Additionally, practices may choose to integrate the electronic medical records with the existing practice management system, allowing users to continue to work in the existing systems and still access the electronic medical records. Using this hybrid approach allows practices to reduce their capital investment and minimize the time needed to implement. With features such as workflow, practices can also reduce the time it takes to route paper documents and add greater efficiency to processes such as billing, accounts payable, and medical training records. Red Eagle Consulting offers both EMC and Laserfiche ECM systems and can assist you in determining if an ECM system will work for you.

Sign up for a Laserfiche webinar to learn more about ECM for practice management.

Common Questions About Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
Can we store diagnostic images such as X-Rays or MRI films in the system?	Yes, most ECM systems will allow you to add documents in many different formats. However, viewers within the systems vary. In some cases, in order to view a film, the external application for that format will launch on the user's computer.
How are patient records identified?	Records are identified with index data defined by the practice when the system is implemented. You'll want to carefully consider which identifiers you implement in order to help you add and find documents as efficiently as possible.
Are most ECM systems HIPPA compliant?	In order to be HIPPA compliant, a system needs to allow you to implement the appropriate security features. The system is only compliant if the features are available and properly implemented. Red Eagle Consulting provides systems with robust security capabilities and assists clients in implementing those features to meet their requirements.
How will we ever get all of our existing records into a system?	Adding existing records to your system once it is implemented can be a time consuming task. You'll want to consider using a strong capture solution to help automate assignment of index data. When implemented correctly, a capture solution will save you tremendous time and help prevent errors.
How can an ECM solution integrate with our existing practice management system?	Depending upon the systems chosen, there are a number of options for integration. The simplest involve image enabling the practice management software to allow you to look at records in the ECM system by selecting key fields on the screen, such as patient ID. More complex integrations may move data between the two systems. It's important to spend time defining your requirements and understanding your options before determining how best to integrate your systems.
What is the difference between EMR, ECM, and EHR?	EHR refers to the electronic health records that are a digital data set that may be shared across different health care settings or networks. EHR is often envisioned to become a nationally available repository of patient data that could be accessed by any provider. EMR and ECM refer to electronic medical records, or enterprise content management. These terms reference the electronic records within a practice that may be shared or used as a source of data for EHR. Laserfiche has provided a white paper with more information on this topic.