The Increasing Use of EHR or EMR in Clinical Oncology

As of 2021, about 78% or nearly four in five office-based physicians and 96% of all non-federal acute care hospitals have adopted a certified electronic health record (EHR) system.

From these statistics, there’s a likelihood that EHRs are becoming more utilized by oncologists in clinical practice.

Oncologists or cancer doctors also need technological tools, like EHRs or electronic medical records (EMRs), to help diagnose cancer, including rare ones like mesothelioma and its stages, Merkel cell carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, and more.

With the rise of technologies and systems like EHR or EMR, clinical oncology is bound to see further developments.

What are the benefits of using an EMR or EHR system for clinical oncology? What are the features that make a quality EHR?

This article discusses the benefits of using an EMR or EHR for clinical oncology and explains the features and thought processes of developing a quality EHR.

The Benefits of Using an EMR or EHR for Clinical Oncology

Despite EHR’s significant role in assisting with complex healthcare processes, current EHRs don’t sufficiently support the teamwork of oncology providers. This limitation can cause potential hazards to cancer patient care.

Current research involving health information on office visits has mainly focused on using EHRs in primary care and less on oncology settings.

Still, oncologists can benefit from these systems by utilizing several EHR features like care coordination and information sharing.

Some of the frequently reported strengths of EHRs were providing quick and easy access to patient records and facilitating information transfer between multiple providers. For oncologists, having access to EHR records from other regional healthcare systems can significantly support oncological information needs.

Another benefit of EHRs during clinic visits is the ability to share information on the computer screen with patients. Medical oncologists can discuss lab results and trends over time by showing the screen to clients. Meanwhile, surgical and radiation oncologists can share the screen with patients to view tumor images.

Researchers analyzed the data on the EHR’s role in care coordination. They collected four main themes about the oncologists’ perceptions and practices using the system:

For care coordination, including documentation and timeliness of receiving information
During clinic visits, such as for educating patients and acting as a reinforcement tool
For EHR care coordination, safety hazards like incomplete documentation, propagation errors, and absence of filtering mechanisms to capture errors
For improvement suggestions, like user interface simplification and enhanced functionalities

Thus, EHR can become more tailored to clinical oncology practice by addressing these themes.

Features and Thought Processes That Make a Quality EHR

EHRs have a substantial role in technologically sophisticated and increasingly complex healthcare processes like information transfer and care coordination among providers. But EHRs can also cause unintended consequences and new risks to patient safety.

For example, ineffective information transfers can lead to communication failures, contributing to suboptimal care transitions and potential patient harm.

To minimize these risks, quality EMRs or EHRs must be designed to address the following needs:

Complete, accurate, and updated patient information at the point of care
Quick access to patient records for better care efficiency
Secure electronic information sharing with patients and healthcare providers
Complete and legible documentation
Safer and more reliable prescribing
Accurate and streamlined coding and billing
Improved productivity and work-life balance
Lower costs due to lesser paperwork and improved sales

Why Praxis Is the Best-Rated EMR or EHR Platform

Praxis EMR has a unique artificial intelligence and template-free EMR or EHR system. It allows physicians to provide smarter and higher quality medicine that no other EHR system can.

Through these unique features, Praxis EMR can provide the following benefits:

Fast medicine charting speed: Users reported completing medical charts in Praxis EMR takes less than 45 seconds. Clients also responded that the system allows them to see more patients daily compared to other EHR platforms.
Easy to use: Physicians rated Praxis EMR number one for ease of use, based on a user satisfaction survey by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

The AAFP used to publish the EHR user satisfaction survey results in the Family Practice Management journal until 2012.

Since then, the organization’s surveys have focused on factors that drive physicians to change or switch EHRs.

Increased revenue potential: Praxis EMR can connect to the physicians’ billing software to streamline the billing process, providing an opportunity to maximize revenue. Many Praxis users have reported a 12% to 18% revenue increase.
Legal protection: Praxis’ template-free platform helps enhance a physician’s legal protection by providing comprehensive and unique documentation that other template-driven systems cannot.

Praxis EMR’s documentation doesn’t only record what was done. The system also shows its logical thought progression leading to a diagnosis or action, allowing the defense attorney to assert the patient’s uniqueness and why the system has chosen a specific treatment.

Overall, many physicians who have used Praxis EMR have rated it number one among other EMRs in the market.

Praxis EMR also became the number one rated EHR at the 2022 Gartner Digital Markets GetApp Category Leaders.

GetApp is a recommendation engine for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that helps entrepreneurs make the right software decisions.

To add to Praxis EMR’s list of awards, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has also given Infor-Med Corporation, the creator of Praxis EMR, a rating of A+. This rating means the company is among the most trusted corporations in the U.S.

The BBB has been the authority on marketplace trust since 1912. As a BBB-accredited business, Infor-Med Corporation strives to make faithful efforts to address and resolve consumer complaints.

Physicians and interested parties who want to know more about Praxis EMR or want to schedule a demo can contact 800-985-6016 or email support@praxisemr.com.