Electronic Health Records For Dummies

Outlining talking points

When talking to your patients, the last thing you want to do is leave your patients with that “deer in the headlights” look because you fit everything you know about EHR into a 15-minute conversation. Craft only some talking points about the new EHR to communicate with patients.

You also don’t want to say too little or just hand off your info pamphlet and call it a day. Instead, train office staff and physicians to explain what they’re doing with patients during their day-to-day interactions. Instruct them to be ready to answer general questions about the EHR and if they don’t know the answer, either direct patients to someone who does or find the answer and report back to the patient. These types of interactions don’t have to be full-on tutorials — they can be simple asides or casual chats. Create a FAQ document so that everyone provides the same answers and can refer to the sheet if necessary. Remember to reduce your schedule at go-live so you and your staff have more time to talk with each patient.

Here are some talking points each role can cover with patients during clinical interactions:

Front office staff: Your front office staff should relay introductory information about the EHR — what EHR means and does. Have them explain their role in using the EHR: scanning forms and insurance cards, setting up appointments, and following up on patient calls. Staff can relay patient benefits, such as faster and more efficient office visits, greater accessibility ...