The considerable scientific advancements in the practice of medicine, along with the ever-increasing use of technology, have markedly changed the healthcare industry. A medical practice today no longer functions as it did in the past. Physicians are relying more and more on technology rather than paper charts, to assist them with better patient care. EHRs (Electronic Health Records) have heavily impacted a practice’s everyday workflow.

Doctors and patients alike will agree that paper charts were neither secure nor easily accessible. Technology has helped improve this situation by better protecting patient health information. For example, providers can now maintain audit trails, restrict data access or send encrypted messages online through certified EHRs.

Moreover, patient orders were previously paper-based making them vulnerable to getting lost or never reaching their destination. This has been streamlined via the use of an EHR. A provider can now send lab orders directly to an interfaced lab, and send prescriptions directly to any pharmacy accepting e-prescriptions.

Additionally, patient safety has also risen as EHRs allow providers to track all the changes made to a patient’s chart, as well as who made those changes.

Though the functional capabilities of EHRs are practically endless, three particular applications are critical in improving the quality of health care and for reducing systemic costs:

Clinical Decision Support (CDS):

This application helps providers make better and safer patient care decisions by providing information about drugs, cross-referencing allergies to specific medications, providing provider alerts for potential drug interactions etc.

Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE):

Through this application, physicians can enter orders for drugs, lab tests, and other procedures. By placing these orders electronically, CPOE eliminates errors caused by poor penmanship and provides clarity amongst the health care team about drugs and procedures for a given patient.

Health Information Exchange (HIE):

The HIE allows healthcare professionals to share patient information across various clinical settings. Physicians are able to access patient health information at any time and in any healthcare setting (physician practices, pharmacies, specialist offices, ambulances, emergency rooms, etc.).

The future of technology includes virtual visits via video conferencing which will allow providers to document notes, send lab orders, prescriptions and similar information, from anywhere with a computer and an active internet connection. Moreover, if a high-risk patient needs multiple referring doctors, technology would enable him to do so.  Other enhancements such as Google Glass or any other wearable technology will have an impact on the healthcare industry in the near future. Imagine interfacing handheld technologies such as heart monitor or fitness bands directly to a patient’s chart.

Thus, the collaboration between technology and medicine is indeed taking healthcare places. The challenge for physicians is to find the right fit for their practice rather than completely write off technology because of a bad experience with a vendor.