Medios EHR Software

Introduction

Medios EHR Software is a product of IOS Health System that allows to easily implement as well as use system in attaining proper electronic health record. Medios has smart navigational abilities as well as multiple documentation methods that make it exceptional among other conventional EHR systems (Press-release, 2011). Again, its web-based solution is expressly intended to achieve both, clinical and operational demands that may face either large or small practices. It means that the system is well advanced by the most recent features in web technology to ensure proper handling of the changing dynamics of the operations as well as clinical tools.

Medios has three main branches entailed in its work. Apart from the Electronic Health Records (EHR), the other two branches include the Practice Management System (PM) and the Enterprise Health System (E). Medios PM Solution aims at assisting in improving control of revenue cycle activities occurring on a daily basis as well as maximization of income. The system is well incorporated with the EHR, thus, it enables coordination of events from the time of check-in to check-out and eventually to the payments.

On the other hand, Medios Enterprise health system is secure as well as HIPAA compliant and allows the user the right of entry to all data on medical documents and organization. Further, it enables the use of controlled workflow automation as well as real-time reporting tools. Thus, it leads to increased productivity, efficiency and synchronizes patient care throughout the organizational channels (Business Software, 2015).

Medios EHR software originated with ISO Health System, established about twenty-five years ago with an aim of integrating first-class service with practical technology (Press-release, 2011). Since then, the organization focused on making changes in the patient’s care process through the use of high quality service and technology. However, EHR system itself has its roots back to 1960’s when doctors noticed that they could not retrieve some information about the health of their client when data remained stored in paper form.

In an EHR system, information is entered in medical records software that is considered to be secure and has remote servers that ensure the reliability of the system and privacy of the patient’s information. When communication takes place through EHR system, an authorized party with login details can access the information from their computer. For example, data history and treatment of an employee can easily be accessed by a doctor who requires learning the history of this employee’s condition. Being web-based allows information to get disseminated to various gadgets in a wireless system (Medios. IOS Health Systems. Healthcare Technology, 2015).

Features of EHR System

Beneficiaries of the System

Benefits of an EHR system are immeasurable and apply variably to different parties that get involved. The core groups that derive benefits from the system include physicians, patients, nurses, government as well as the organization in general. Clinicians, nurses and other medical practitioners have greatly benefited from the implementation of the EHR System. With the help of the system, this group of professionals has accessed patient data as well as uploaded more information. That enables them to evaluate their clients’ conditions (Medical Records, 2015).

Again, through EHR application, nurses have reached out to boost health care of their patients. Moreover, the software allows doctors to closely monitor their patients by keeping track of their wellbeing after they discharge them from hospitals. In fact, since information transmission takes place in real time, communication between physician and a patient is fast and hence an easy way of detecting complications. That helps them to make a quick response and book an appointment with their clients. Further, doctors stand a chance to carry out medical references on certain ailments as well as their patients, to give them the basis of the treatment they accord them.

Moreover, the software eases the doctor-patient relation by allowing E-Prescribing platform, hence enabling to address the situation of the sick person even from a far distance. Patients are also beneficiaries of the system. It is critical to note that this being a way of improving health services, benefactors are those in need of medical attention. Other than the communication between them and their doctors, the sick individuals may as well access healthy data from Patient Portal and Education. That will help them to learn the ways and means of living a fitting life (Business Software, 2015).

Government also will have some advantages emanating from the application of the software. It is notable that data feeding on the system maintains proper records of any ailment and thus it gets monitored through the Intelligence Disease Management application. With such information, authorities are in position to make plans on how they would arrest a situation before it gets out of control. Another benefactor is the organization in which the system gets applied. Since the software bears an interactive workflow module, it becomes easy to allow the flow of information from one section to the other. Again, the timelines through which such activities take place get reduced (Business Software, 2015).

Features Making the Software Essential

There are four key features that help EHR to fulfill its mandate with little or no hitch. These characteristics include API availability, E-Prescribing, Patient Portal and Reporting Dashboard. Each of them plays a significant role in ensuring that all the parties, particularly medical practitioners and their patients have their concerns addressed properly.

Availability of API is necessary to enable development of scalable functions by making use of health information in a smart manner. It means that it allows interaction between patients, medical professionals and individuals playing a role in healthcare. The reason behind that relates to the permit and quick access to EHR data and provides faultless Healthcare information flow by doctor’s representation from patient’s EHR in an effortless and accurate manner. Moreover, it helps practitioners to comply with HIPAA requirements that relate to the privacy of the clients (Press-release, 2011).

Another core feature in EHR software is E-prescription. The aspect largely makes an improvement of relations between physicians, nurses, patients, pharmacists and other medical staff. The E-Prescription feature is considered to be beneficial based on a number of factors. One of them is that it is considered as being fast. When a laboratory health officer enters results on prescription, it gets disseminated immediately to pharmacist’s computer. That provides a head start for necessary drug. Additionally, it is considered as legible, secure, economical and convenient for both, the patient and medical practitioner. Moreover, physicians benefit from saved time thus giving them extra time to dedicate to patient care. In addition, it is deemed as a safer way of transacting operations as it avoids human errors that could lead to wrong prescription.

Next, the presence of an EHR patient portal is a unique feature of the software. Such a portal enables efficient communication between physicians and clients. With that, patients are in position to email any queries that they may have to their doctors as well as schedule appointments with them. Further, they stand a chance to make requests for prescription refilling online. On the other side, medical officers get the opportunity to transmit clinical summaries as well as laboratory results as an attachment to the patient. Moreover, there is real-time response to questions raised by the sick individuals that allows avoiding issues such as phone tag and transport as well as saving time (Business Software, 2015).

Then there is also EHR Reporting Dashboard feature. This is an important application as it allows the IT staff to monitor the efficiency as well as effectiveness of the software. It is also able to provide summaries of the activities that have taken place on the web-page thus, estimating the level of its usability.

Software’s Privacy, Legality and Governance

EHR Software Compliance with Law

In the contemporary world, electronic data platforms are affected by various threats among them the loss of data as well as information theft. Such difficulties among other contribute to legal handles that may face them. Therefore, a number of legal requirements have been set aside to ensure protection of all the parties involved in the EHR software system particularly the patients. Most of these requirements are outlined in the HIPAA. Where the compliance fail, a number of legal challenges may arise. Such legal risks include medical malpractice claims which result from a data entry error.

Other challenges may include susceptible fraud claims, medical error possibility, and unauthorized access to data, theft as well as breaches, and healthcare leaders’ practical tips. In a situation when the client’s health information is released to the public or acquired through illegal means, individual medical officers found responsible could easily get prosecuted. The legal requirement holds that all data ought to be kept secret unless a legal go ahead is provided (Medios. IOS Health Systems. Healthcare Technology, 2015).

Apart from that, a wrong prescription can be detrimental to the health of a patient. Medical officers are thus required to enter accurate information into the system. Where that fails to happen and the victim’s complications worsen, the physicians as well as the pharmacists involved may find themselves arrested. Despite the fact that majority of people consider computerized system as accurate, information feeding process ought to get an approach that is cautious thus making sure that it is rightfully done.

How the EHR Software Protects the Privacy of the User

EHR software has adopted various methods to ensure protection of data. First, the system uses an encrypted format for stored data. It means that the access to health information is only possible to an individual who has an ability to decrypt. To do that one requires an entry key and it is only provided to the authorized persons.  An encryption of computerized data entails change of its original form during transmission making the information secure and incomprehensible to individuals who do not have access rights. The information gets decrypted to the former readable state when it is ready for use by approved individuals.

Further the software allows a unique code to be entered by permitted persons. The code comes as a way of controlling access where the system requests for a password or a PIN to read the data. That is a way of guaranteeing that patient information does not fall into the wrong hands. Moreover, the software has an automatic shutdown customization. The significance of this application is that it allows the system to log itself out after a specified time without use; hence, deterring illegal entrance by use of authorized person’s account.

Additionally, different users have varying access rights and hence a patient is not in a position to obtain another patient’s data. Such checks ensure privacy while still getting to use the system. In case of the staff, the system is programmed to run their background information before permitting them to access on that platform. Moreover, it is vital to note that EHR software has set exigencies to effectively provide informational restoration or recovery, in case it gets deleted unexpectedly. Backup systems are deemed vital for computer programs as information loss may lender operations in an organization worthless (Software Insider, 2015).

The Overall Governance of the Medios EHR Software

EHR software governance has guidance from both legal as well as privacy considerations. Though there exist universal guidelines on the approach, there are different ways of governing EHR software. In the United States, the Congress voted in favor of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996, to offer protection of personal health data of any kind. With that Act, EHR effectively fell under the obligations set. HIPAA security rules and requirements provided more powers to individual patients over health data relating to them (Business Software, 2015).

The legal framework provides the guidelines on disclosure of information as well as the privacy and the consequences of failing to abide by the law. In the case of Medios EHR, the ISO Health Systems who are the developers sell it to medical institutions. It is this organization that exercises administrative responsibility on the system. The EHR software has a structure that allows individuals to have access to given areas where their accounts get permitted with the limitation of other data. The communication between participants gets connected by a wireless system and can be accessed by individuals on different platforms or gadgets (Business Software, 2015).

Benefits of Using the EHR Software versus Software Used in the Present and the Past

EHR software has brought about an era when health information does not remain bound by the location of the record. In the past, paper chart remained only in its stored locality thus, making it difficult to share information. With EHR, this data can now be acquired from any location provided connection to the system exists. Hence, an era of enhanced clinic records accessibility has been achieved (Medical Records, 2015).

Patient Safety

EHR allows data to be passed using computers with a readable writing. Previously, wrong prescriptions and other errors were made due to the poorly handwritten orders, prescriptions and doctor notes. At times, the information was illegible and took much time to try and understand. With ERH all that has changed guaranteeing patient safety.

The Better Patient Care

EHR has provided a platform for patient-physician communication. It enables sick people to consult their doctors even when they are away from the hospital. In return, doctors are able to make responses to their clients and book an appointment with them where necessary. In the past that was quite difficult. Patients would travel long distances to meet a doctor when they needed to consult them. Further, communication between medical officers and their departments was time-consuming and hence slow operations. Such protracted activities did reduce the time used to address an individual’s health care.

Saving and Efficiency

Reporting to public health organizations has experienced remarkable change getting easy and fast curtsey of EHRs. It experienced difficulties earlier when paperwork was used. A lot of time got consumed, and errors could easily arise. The emergence of EHRs changed the situation enabling a cost effective, easy and more reliable process to be brought to use. Through the application of the software, time and money have been saved, and efficiency improved.

Aggregated Data

Since the adoption of EHRs, compilation of health data has eased up. Making decisions based on evidence, medical personnel require quality data. Data such as inpatient, outpatient care, as well as chronic and acute care and the locality of individuals took the time to compile while using paperwork. It means that at times data could get obsolete and thus wrong decisions could be made. However, EHR is the real-time system that automatically computes the data and provides it in statistical forms for proper decision making. The margin of error in that case is extremely low.

Integrated Data

EHRs integrate health records automatically. Thus, the risk of having data loss or incomplete information is fast eliminated. Paper health forms do not incorporate with other forms. Although they could get filed together, integration has some limitations. For electronic data, there are chances of having both internal as well as the external integration of information. That allows ease sharing of health data, data mining and gives a boost to health issues quality reporting.

Governmental Expectations

Health data is necessary to governments as they use it to make policies. EHRs became the focal point of governments at all levels to quicken decision making as well as improve disease management (Medical Records, 2015).

Concerns about EHRs Software

Various concerns have hit EHRs affecting their operations within an organization. However, groups using them have developed mechanisms that they hope will help to arrest the challenges. For instance, failure to involve all key players in the process has seen the program fail to perform to the fullest. Again, many users still do not have the knowhow on how to operate within the system. That has resulted into organizations embarking on training their employees to boost their capabilities. Further, development and improvement of the software should as well involve the core players to give them the chance to state their challenges.

Usability is another challenge.  Some users feel the system has unclear navigation, and the presence of many options is frustrating. Medics fear they have little time to study all those options. Despite that, many firms are resulting into training as well as acquiring the most modern EHRs. Moreover, there is the staffing for implementation. Getting trained individuals to work for the firms is a challenge and it may require vast resources. To tackle that the organization has opted for building an inside team model, where its own employees get training on the system other than hiring new workers. There is also the challenge of loss of the information. Health organizations have adopted a mechanism that allows them to set a backup to ensure that data loss is easily recoverable.

Conclusion

In summary, EHR software can be portrayed as beneficial to health sector despite the challenges. Comparing the periods before its invention and after, one can easily deduce patient health care as well as data management improved. The system has achieved in forming a computer platform that gives chances to have parties interact, save time, reduce the cost of operation as well as increase efficiency.

Again, quicker decisions are reachable curtsey of statistical information provided by the program in real-time. Moreover, patients are guaranteed of secure and integrated database that portrays all the required health information concerning them. However, various challenges such as complexity of the system, poor usability as well as lower productivity require urgent attention.

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