Electronic Health Records For Dummies

System design

Armed with your list of goals and your new flowcharts, you can work with your vendor rep and other EHR transition team members to ensure that the new system will incorporate your newly designed workflows and help you provide the most efficient care. Dialogue openly with your vendor rep while you work together to design and test the specific functions of the EHR.

Work with your vendor and its team to design and customize the system to accommodate your needs and these new and improved workflows you’ve been considering. When using the EHR, you’ll want to collect some information every time you and your staff document a patient encounter, yet limit choices at other times. The vendor can point out these options to help you make the right decision.

Additionally, you can customize certain “out of the box” templates from the vendor. Some of these are documentation templates for certain visit types; others might be common letters or referral guidelines. Ask the vendor to teach you how to customize their standard content and then divide those responsibilities between the appropriate clinicians in your practice.

Ask your vendor and colleagues from the same specialty if they have any documentation templates or order sets that they can share with you. No reason to reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to. If you have no one to ask, see whether the vendor can connect you to someone ...