The pandemic sparked an urgent need for high-quality digitized services. And while the effects of COVID-19 are apparent regardless of industry, it’s no secret that the healthcare industry has been hit hard.

But we’re taking a different approach to the healthcare crisis – we’re looking at technical disadvantages. The lack of proper technical infrastructure and support in the healthcare industry is a problem. But the good news is that it’s solvable by future-proofing and investing in the right technology.

Content Bloom works with various high-level enterprise systems, implementing them at scale for global companies in need of a digital transformation. As of late, our teams have noticed the urgent need for better tech within the healthcare system.

Today’s blog explores how specific medical technology upgrades to systems like Electronic Health Records (EHRs) can significantly improve patient care.

Why medical technology is a good investment

Contactless and cloud technology utilization has risen post-pandemic and there has been a major change in the way R&D dollars are spent in the healthcare industry. With the demand for automated clinical systems, the evolution of interoperable Electronic Health Records (EHR) as a cloud-based service has become imperative.

This is where the right technology investment comes into play.

Traditional EHR systems have seen billions of dollars worth of investment since 2006. With newer regulatory requirements in the US, this spending is forecasted to increase by 19% year-over-year to a whopping $20 billion by 2024.

The next generation of EHR systems is coming in fast and healthcare and medical equipment companies must place emphasis on how they innovate.

What is an EHR technology platform?

EHR systems evolved from a legacy system called Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Systems and though some people use the two terms interchangeably, there is a significant difference between the two.

EMR Systems were built to digitize the charts and data in a clinic and usually contain the medical and treatment history of a patient. EMR systems enable clinical staff to identify and track patient data and monitor and update ongoing patient information (such as vaccinations, blood pressure, family history information, etc.)

EHR Systems are much more evolved EMR systems. They do everything that an EMR system does and more. EHR systems can collect, compile, and share information from multiple clinics. They were built to increase the accuracy of patient care, enhance interoperability between devices and data, and provide detailed patient reports.

The key to the new-age EHR Systems is seamless interoperability. The information gathered from one source can be securely transferred to another system and be used to ultimately enable multiple parties to access/update the patient’s record.

With the rapid growth of technology, the interoperability between systems becomes more and more complex. Most providers are partially interoperable and support either their own products or only a handful of third-party products. With the raging requirements of interoperable products, there is a need for a new type of EHR System.

How can telehealth work within an EHR?

Healthcare professionals across the globe are looking for enterprise-wide seamless mobility from services like e-prescriptions, personalized care planning, and “anytime-anywhere” access. EMR systems are on the way out and the traditional clunky on-premise EHR systems need upgrading.

Why are these upgrades necessary?

These systems occasionally encounter complex technical issues (for which the hospitals do not have resources or skills to troubleshoot), are not easy to use, require ongoing manual upgrades and if not managed efficiently, add risk to the security and privacy of patient records.

By providing EHR-as-a-Service, all these issues are elevated. As other medical technologies mature globally, most future products are compatible with a cloud-based EHR system.

“EHR ranked first for cloud workloads, reflecting perceived benefits of a move to the cloud for clinical documentation.”

Mutaz O. Shegewi, IDC Health Insights Research Director, Provider IT Transformation Strategies

What is the future of health information technology?

EHR provider companies can future-proof their systems by doing bite-size migrations and upgrades within their applications while incorporating features that allow clinics the autonomy to:

• Offer efficient patient care and leverage a content library that incorporates a wide range of care options.
• Provide 360-degree patient information access across regions, clinics, physicians, pharmacies, and nurses.
• Allow easy interoperability within existing health technology ecosystems and newer technologies without heavy setup/maintenance costs.
• Access to EHR marketplaces filled with relevant community platforms and support.
• Automatically provides physicians the ability to change upcoming patient care tasks and track activities and enable nurses to provide results and patient proceedings.
• Enable patients and healthcare providers to access and securely share data and insights.
• Improve patient plans going forward.  
• Provide patients with self-serve claim management, dashboards to forecast and determine the total cost of care and share data with peers
• Integrate third-party data such as demographic/population health, claims, etc. to forecast patient traffic and clinical needs.

What are the implications for the future of healthcare?

EHR and EMR systems have been around for decades and R&D dollars spent on these systems should be driven by the market’s needs and regulatory requirements.

As mentioned earlier, there is an urgent need for efficient and robust patient care technology When it comes to the future of healthcare, the goal is to simplify and amplify efficiency across borders. This can be done by converting outdated EHR and EMR into high-functioning automated systems. One starting point would be to simplify processes

By implementing technical platforms that can evolve with changing demands, you’re adding an incredible layer of security, flexibility, reliability while providing effective patient care

Want to learn more about the ways the right technology can elevate your company standards and deliverables beyond expectation? Send us a message.