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EHRs help bring urgent care benefits to more patients
05.02.2012
Urgent care facilities across the country are expanding. Many have multiple locations. This is a testament to the fact that there are many urgent care benefits that make these centers attractive options. Experts say that as these facilities grow, they will need to take into consideration how they will keep track of additional patient data.Erik Bermudez, who recently led an investigation of urgent care centers' options for electronic health record implementation for KLAS, told InformationWeek that a stand-alone center may not have such a strong need for electronic systems. They typically do not have beds or such high volumes of information to track.
However, due to the fact that many providers are expanding and opening up new locations, a growing number of facilities will be looking for EHR solutions.
"If you are looking at urgent care centers that are only using paper, obviously opening up a second location and trying to track finances and track patient volumes and physician efficiency becomes much more difficult without having that ability to pull data through an EMR or a practice management system," Bermudez told the news source.
As more urgent care facilities migrate toward EHRs, many are likely to find benefits that extend beyond improvements in tracking patient data. Numerous studies have shown that the technology can boost a practice's efficiency and quality of care.
In this way, the trend of EHR adoption among urgent care providers may benefit both the practice and the patient. The Urgent Care Association of America estimates that more than 300 facilities opened up nationwide between 2009 and 2010. This indicates that providers may start bringing these urgent care benefits to a larger group of patients.
Categories: Urgent Care Services
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