This type of system obviously needs power and electric to run. What are you going to do if all the power in a neighborhood is knocked out and people cannot reach you? It is often during disasters that people are in the most need of medical care. You need to have a backup source of power to act as a solution for this situation. Therefore, you must find out how the system responds if it shuts down and if any ways exist to account for this problem.
Response Time
Another issue that could arise with your EMR system is if it does not have an appropriate response time. People are calling you because they need medical attention. If they have to wait hours or days to receive it, then they could easily pass away before help is able to get there. Consider a person who is having a heart attack. This service will be of no assistance if help arrives tomorrow.
Directing Inquiries
You should also find out how the system directs its inquiries. For example, if a person is calling about a woman who has gone into a labor in a rural area, how long will it take to connect with someone who specializes in this field? You should also find out if that is even an option. The service might send people who work in all different types of fields. As a medical professional, you should be able to assess what the right answer is for your practice. Find out if you are going to be paged if someone needs you or if the call will go elsewhere.
Transportation
In some cases, people are going to live in very, very rural areas. We are not talking about individuals who live in a countryside that is just a half hour away from a big city; we are talking about individuals who have taken up residence in towns that you have probably never even heard of in the past. Therefore, you need to decide what type of transportation is going to be a part of your system. Once a person calls for help, how is the help going to get there? Sure, ambulances can work if the individual is fairly close by. However, helicopters are generally an important part of this type of procedure.
As a medical practice, your main responsibility is to help patients restore their health to an optimal level. However, if you are not able to get to the patients, this goal is seriously stifled. When you are choosing an EMR system for your medical practice, you need to consider all of the tips above to pick the best one.
Author Pam Johnson is a nurse who obtained her degree from one of the Top 10 Online Accelerated BSN Degree Programs. The hospital she works at uses an EMR software system that makes Pam's job a lot smoother.
