While the conversion to electronic health records systems is already well under way for for the majority of hospitals and medical offices around the United States, optimizing the implementation and operation of the new technology continues to present challenges. According to Healthcare IT News columnist Shawn Curtiss, medical administrators may be wise to look at enterprise content management systems as a potential source for answers.
Despite the emergence of EHRs, many traditional challenges such as cost and workflow integration persist. As Curtiss noted, hospitals continue to rely on paper-based processes for a variety of critical functions, and the proliferation of physical records has only been amplified by a stricter focus on compliance.
Tasked with managing sensitive data spread across a range of different formats, hospitals are showing a clear interest in derivatives of enterprise content management systems and workflow automation tools. According to the news source, applying these staple business technologies to the healthcare community can help reduce the mounting administrative burden felt by many and ensure reliable document retention and consistent data accuracy.
According to InformationWeek, these properties could be especially important considering the implications of operational inefficiencies. Recent reports suggest that the failure to include documentation of clinical best practices within EHRs is inhibiting the ability of doctors to respond with appropriate treatments in a timely manner.
