Dermatologists specialize in the treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of skin, nail, and hair diseases. These specialists deal with patients of all age groups and treat different types of skin diseases. To reduce the complexity and deliver better diagnosis and treatment, some dermatologists use a dermatology EHR.
Here are the benefits of using an EHR:
Improve Billing
Electronic health record (EHR) systems have financial reporting metrics that help you track the financial health of your practice. The tools have live reporting of claims denials and rejections. This can help you quickly identify billing challenges.
Some EHR systems can identify the reason behind claim denials and rejections. These systems also allow your staff to customize claims before submission to reduce errors and denials. This can increase the payment turnaround time and shorten the revenue cycle.
The EHR helps your staff explain additional charges to patients with ease. Staff members can also easily collect balances and co-pays upfront. An EHR also makes it possible for the staff members to approximate the cost of dermatology services and create an integrated payment processing system.
Reduce Paperwork
An EHR allows you and your staff to access patient information and notes from anywhere. This reduces or eliminates the use of traditional paper systems in your dermatology practice. The EHR also automatically auto-populates information in forms instead of the repetitive functions associated with paper forms.
The elimination of paper systems can reduce human errors. That is because you only enter data once instead of multiple times. Once you enter the data, you can then securely store information in the cloud. The EHR will also notify you of any modifications to the data to avoid errors.
Manage Images
Dermatologists often use images to visually recognize skin problems. The images also help track a patient’s improvement over time. While it may be easier to capture pictures, organizing pictures is not always easy. You have to create folders with patient names and dates to store all pictures.
Dermatology EHR systems can automatically organize the pictures and store them in a folder. Whenever you want to access the image, you can do it quickly. Some EHR systems even provide the context of visits and other notes alongside the pictures.
Increase Interaction
Some skin conditions have underlying causes that require the attention of other medical professionals. You have to coordinate with other medical professionals to provide accurate treatment to your patient. An EHR system allows you to be in constant communication with other medical professionals who are also providing treatment to the patient. Whenever the patient undergoes a test, the EHR automatically sends a notification to you.
Prevent Liability
EHR systems help your dermatology practice collect information to demonstrate compliance with existing guidelines. If you have to defend your actions or type of care, the EHR provides complete and legible documents to support your arguments in court. You can also store information that proves informed consent.
Enhance Privacy
Unlike paper records that can get lost or misplaced, only authorized individuals can access the information in an EHR. The EHR systems also use advanced encryption techniques to protect sensitive medical data. If an unauthorized person accesses the information in an EHR system, you can use the paper trail to track security breaches.
Most dermatology EHR systems also back up to the cloud. If an incident leads to the loss of on-site data, you can easily download the information from the backup and recovery system in the cloud. This provides business continuity even in the event of a natural disaster.
Reduce Costs
Filing information and organizing medical records is labor-intensive. Dermatology practices have to hire employees to incorporate laboratory results and maintain medical records for office visits. This can greatly increase the cost of running the dermatology practice and reduce profit margins.
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An EHR system can deliver the same services but at a fraction of the cost. The EHR system can eliminate the cost of medical transcription and assist with tracking and managing prescriptions and tests. Some EHR systems also send automatic reminders to inform patients about their upcoming appointments. This may reduce the cost of hiring customer service agents.
Implement a Dermatology EHR
A dermatology EHR has many benefits for your dermatology practice. Before you get started, analyze the needs of your dermatology practice. Then get quotes from multiple EHR vendors. You can then select the best EHR system for your dermatology practice.