If your eyecare practice is still using paper patient records in 2017, then you’re gambling away your practice and your patients’ information. Relying on paper-based patient records is a costly practice that creates more work for you and your optometric staff. Not to mention, a disaster in your practice could destroy the detailed records.

Eliminating paper with cloud-based EHR offers many benefits to the ODs who want to improve office efficiency and build patient trust. Below are four reasons why your peers are ditching paper for cloud-based EHR solutions.

The Benefits of Ditching Paper for Cloud-based EHR Software

It’s Easier to Record Data

Manually recording patient data is an error-prone, repetitive task. Entering the same information across similar fields creates inefficient rework and can cause errors if the notes aren’t legible or consistent.

Using cloud-based EHR software will offer you the use of embedded tools that will record patient data and automatically populate that data in similar fields. Other built-in features that will help you record patient data more efficiently include:

• Integrations with digital exam equipment
• ePrescribing tools
• Online patient portal
• Clinical decision support

It’s Easier to Securely Share and Transmit Records

When your patient needs to see a specialist outside of your realm of care, you want to be able to pass as much relevant information to the specialist as quickly as possible. However, passing patient records between healthcare professionals through fax can get expensive, wastes time, and can be difficult to read.

To reduce the errors associated with sorting, filing, and transferring patient records, use EHR software with the ability to create customizable templates, which can be used to securely and electronically share patient data to another healthcare provider.

Increase Practice Efficiency

Calling in prescriptions, faxing ophthalmic product orders, and filing claims through multiple payer websites slows down your office productivity, resulting in a longer wait times for your patients. Instead of having to rely on different solutions, you can use an EHR software to complete tasks that used to require different applications or making phone calls.

Free-up Office Space

Physical paper patient records have to go somewhere. Typically, these documents will either be placed in a file room filled with cabinets and boxes of paper. This is not only a waste of space, but also, makes your paper records vulnerable to theft, damage, and corruption.

Unlike paper patient records, cloud-based EHR stores important patient data off site in a secure data center.

Want to take a look at a cloud-based EHR software that could benefit your practice? Watch the quick video below to catch a glimpse.