Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems are gaining use in medical centers around the world due to the speed and quality at which relevant patient information can be placed into the hands of physicians. Yet like almost all emerging technological solutions, medical professionals are finding several alternative uses for EHR systems. One pioneer in the field, iPatientCare Inc., believes that it can use integrated Practice Management solutions to help with the early detection of Ebola.
iPatientCare hopes to lead the fight against Ebola by using its existing EHR solution to track the travel history of individual patients. By seeing which countries a patient has visited and comparing the risk those countries pose towards transferring Ebola to a visitor, doctors can easily sort patients based on their overall likelihood of risk.
“This responsible gesture would benefit everyone involved in managing a patient's care,”claims iPatientCare Senior Technology Officer Shripal Shah. “The fact that iPatientCare EHR has features that may provide early identification of patients who may be at risk for communicable diseases, including Ebola, is commendable. However the important [thing] to note here [is] that such a useful feature does not disrupt medical office's workflow. The inherent flexibility built in the EHR design allows users to configure their workflow and templates as they prefer to implement.”
Shah cites the EHR system's ability to complement workflow due to the fact that the documentation templates users need not spend any extra time or effort to view and sort the information. Patients are also asked to share their travel histories at any opportunity, such as when interacting with the iPatient Care Online Patient Portal for making new appointments. An additional tool called iRemind, which is typically best suited for reminding patients to take medications and schedule checkups, is also being re appropriated to better track and report patient travels.
Edited by
Maurice Nagle
