Healthcare Technology Featured Article

April 01, 2019

ERP Software in Healthcare: How is it Helping?




As technology continues to upgrade in this digital landscape, most hospitals and other healthcare providers of various sizes have invested a lot of time and money in boosting operational efficiencies while minimizing labor costs. It’s also imperative for the healthcare industry to streamline their internal information flow and communications to provide correct care. For all these reasons, Enterprise Resource Planning technology (ERP) has come into play.

To get a better understanding of what this system, here’s what you need to know about ERP and how it can help healthcare providers.

What is ERP?

When we say ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning technology, it’s a technological software consists of modules that are designed for monitoring data and improving communication between departments within an organization. Through this, employees are also able to work better, which in turn increases efficiency and productivity. Moreover, using ERP systems increases the speed of delivering health care services, both internally and externally.

How does ERP Help the Healthcare Industry?

Again, an ERP system can be an excellent fit for all kinds of sectors including the healthcare industry. Thus, the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning software within the scope of healthcare is indeed beneficial. Below are some ways ERP can help the industry:

1.     Provides better patient care

With an ERP system in place, patients’ details can be stored and transferred among the departments in the organization. Whether it should be moved to a physician’s office or other hospital departments, you can be sure that all records remain accessible and updated at any time of the day. Due to doctor’s easy access to patients’ medical records, they can be able to provide quality patient care by making the right diagnoses and decisions for the welfare of their patients.

2.    Allows the electronic storage of health-related information or data

In the healthcare industry, hospitals and other providers continuously keep essential data about their business operations and their patients. To ensure the safety and confidentiality of all the information, implementing ERP Software can be a good idea. With ERP, users can easily update all the data placed into the system. Also, using this state-of-the-art technology reduces the risk of losing information as everything is stored in one place and any user will be given access when necessary.

3.    Offers better business intelligence

If you’re running a hospital, having an ERP system can provide better business intelligence that can help make better decisions. This software is capable of measuring and assessing a hospital’s operational performance. It gives information about budgeting, requisitions, and analysis of patient visitation. Also, doctors consider ERP as a valuable tool to ensure that the right care is given to the right patient in all circumstances.

4.    Allow strategic planning

ERP can be a useful tool when it comes to assisting owners and managers in making a strategic plan. It identifies and focuses on areas for improvements, thus enhancing the overall efficiency of the hospital. Once the areas that need to be improved are determined, it’ll be much easier for the top management to monitor and assess whether the practices in place are effective or not. 

5.    Helps manage finances better

ERP systems are also good at managing finances better. They help the hospitals’ financial process by keeping track of the patients’ payments, as well as the operating costs for supplies and other relevant services. In addition, implementing ERP helps reduce costly administrative and inventory errors, as well as help employees, save time by handling distribution and purchasing responsibilities.

6.    Facilitates integration

Despite technological advancements nowadays, there are still several healthcare systems that are outdated and require expensive and challenging maintenance. For that reason, ERP systems are designed to make the hospitals’ operations more streamlined. Also, its implementation is considered as one of the ways wherein technology has improved the health industry.

By using them, you can integrate departments such as human resources, finance, billing, and inventory to provide better services to clients. In turn, information will be easily accessible throughout the organization and other affiliated healthcare facilities.

7.    Ability to adopt new technology and trends

Like other business sectors, the field of healthcare is constantly facing new updates and technology, especially when it comes to the overall well-being of the patients. With ERP software within the organization, adapting to new technology and trends make the industry stronger and productive in terms of delivering quality healthcare to people. Remember, the purpose of an ERP system is to improve the process of running and taking care of business practices.

Conclusion

Today,  Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technology changes the way the healthcare industry operates. With trades where communication is an essential asset like hospitals and other healthcare facilities, using this technology really makes sense. Therefore, keep these benefits in mind and start integrating ERP into your healthcare system for better handling of operational costs and high-quality care of patients.



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