Anesthesiology EHR Software Buyers Guide
Last updated: June 07, 2023
Anesthesiology EMR—What Does Your Practice Need?
Why make your life more difficult if technology can smooth out some kinks in your day?
Unnecessary effort is what you’ll experience when your practice doesn’t have the software that’s designed for it. Yes, you’ll find an abundance of Electronic medical record software on today’s market, and sales representatives will have you believe they can all work for you.
But as an anesthesiologist, you operate in a very unique, challenging health care niche. That means you have:
- Unique challenges
- A specific work method, not all health care providers can relate to
- A unique set of clients
Without an EMR tailored to provide for these circumstances, your practice won’t perform as well as it can.
For a Start: Know the Basics
There are certain EMR characteristics all these software products should have. If you don’t find these on the specs list of the software someone is trying to sell you, keep searching:
- Easy integration: You’ll have other technology, equipment, and software in your practice. The new package must be compatible with everything to ensure a streamlined workflow. A practice is optimized when all factors work together well.
- User-friendly interface: Make sure you and your employees will find it easy to understand. Asking your employees’ feedback on screenshots of layouts as well as menus is a practical solution.
- Excellent customer service: For this, it’s best you read reviews so you get feedback from real-life clients.
- Support when you need it: When you see how much your EMR can do for you (look at the list below) you’ll realize it must be active 24/7. Does your vendor provide technicians and support to keep downtime to a minimum if something should go wrong?
Apart from these factors, an anesthesiologist performs well with these EMR features on hand.
Anesthesiology—A Unique Healthcare Niche
Here’s a primary reason why you can’t settle for just any EMR: Your work involves other physicians and hospital personnel to a larger degree than most other healthcare professionals.
For other doctors, their electronic medical record is often their backup and tool to engage with patients. Not so in your scenario: You know the greatest challenges involve monitoring dosage, getting updated patient information from equipment in the hospital, and collecting data from nurses’ stations.
Your EMR must be focused on these interactions to be of true value.
What Anesthesiologists Need from Technology
Do you believe technology can help you perform better in what you do every day?
Of course, your success is based on your expertise in this field, but when tech helps you cut down on manual tasks, as well as helping you monitor accuracy in your daily decisions, it’s a win for everyone involved.
You may feel apprehensive to surrender certain tasks to your software, but the truth is that technology is advanced enough to handle the following. (Just make sure it’s part of the next EMR you invest in).
Interacting With Other Professionals and Their Equipment
Your work depends on having up to date data on your patients. An archaic method is to collect printed information from nurses, making notes as you go, or asking for reports to be emailed.
All these methods waste time is dependent on humans (therefore subject to human error) and often ineffective.
The right EMR for your practice will automatically import this information from where it’s collected. Ideally, your EMR must communicate effectively with other professionals or hospitals’ EMRs to keep manual tasks to a minimum.
Not only does this save time, but your records will be error-free.
Keeping an Eye on What You Do
Your calculations regarding dosage determine patients’ health and that responsibility is enough to cause stress. Now you can use your EMR to prevent certain errors, as the software can monitor your dosage prescriptions. If an accidental error on your part can cause side effects or problems, your EMR will alert you so you can recheck your anesthesia plan.
The software can also compare your plan with patient information. If any combination of facts could trigger known side effects, your software will let you know.
With more peace of mind, you’ll be more focused, which is how software helps doctors be better at their jobs.
All in One Information Source
If you have to use several sources of information while compiling an anesthesia plan it can become hectic in your office. While this is a normal occurrence in your niche, why not enjoy the order technology provides?
Pull information from various sources, all relating to a patient such as:
- Heart rate
- CO2 levels
- ECG
- Temperature
Quality EMR products can gather and show all this information so you have everything you need in one place.
While you don’t interact with patients that much, you do need their data and an EMR can host this information, adding the details mentioned above to their files. It’s a quick task to open someone’s file, browse all information and make a call or do calculations.
Make sure the tech you implement helps you work more effectively to the benefit of your patients.
Time It
Take your functioning one step further and let your EMR monitor administration times and drug levels. When you have all this information on hand you can quickly make a call on re-administration if necessary.
Appropriate Templates
Everything mentioned here will only be used optimally on a platform that suits your tasks. Anesthesiology EMRs have templates appropriate for your work. Well, designed ones will enable a lot of work with very few mouse clicks.
All of this leads to a streamlined workflow so you can get more done each day.
Conclusion
You can keep on doing what you’re doing and you’ll survive. But when technology aligns 100% with your needs, wants and setup you get the chance to make your practice flourish.
For that, you need unique anesthesiology EMR. Start vetting, choose your product and see how your practice transforms.
