From Frustration to Function: How One Hospital Got Their EHR Right
The World Health Organization cites three critical traits of quality healthcare: it’s effective, safe, and people-centered. These elements are required for successful patient outcomes and underscore the need for empowered clinical and administrative teams.
To achieve these goals, clinicians must be equipped with accurate information and intuitive systems that help address community needs while preserving authentic physician-patient relationships.
Too often, tools that are meant to improve care bog down clinical staff, creating roadblocks rather than simplifying the process. EHR inefficiencies are time-consuming, tedious aspects of a provider’s day. In fact, the American Medical Association reports that for every 30-minute primary care visit, providers spend an additional 36-minutes in the EHR on average.
Effective technology improves workflows and creates space for meaningful patient interactions. EHRs play an important role, and when well-designed, help ensure accurate, timely, and efficient healthcare delivery.
The front lines of community care: Childress Regional Medical Center’s success story
Childress Regional Medical Center (CRMC), a 39-bed community hospital in northern Texas, knows the important role an EHR plays in clinical excellence. Emilee Stratton, CFO at CRMC and former registered medical assistant, is a champion for Childress and uses her role at the hospital and prior experiences at the bedside and in the billing department to advocate for the unique needs of her clinicians, patients, and community.
The hospital has become a recognized leader, earning three top 20 hospital awards and eight consecutive top 100 hospital recognitions. CRMC prioritizes technology that caters to the needs of the facility and their patients. The clinical teams understand how to optimize the EHR to achieve exceptional patient care.
Stratton explains, “We work with TruBridge; that has been our EHR for over ten years. We know what to do with TruBridge…” she continues, “As a nurse, you just want to get in there, take care of the patient, and not have to worry about technology.”
As Stratton states, technology should augment and improve patient care, not distract from it. CRMC embodies the positive outcomes possible when the EHR supports clinicians, delivers the right information at the right time, and reduces tedious and burdensome tasks.
Best in class technology is critical for top-tier patient care
Stratton encourages her teams to carefully assess whether systems help or hinder effective, safe, and people-centered care delivery. According to Stratton, qualities of an effective EHR in community care include:
- Positive user experience. An EHR must be easy to use and built around clinical workflows. Fewer clicks and faster navigation help providers document consistently and focus on the patient while technology supports each interaction.
- Reliable patient data. Providers need access to accurate and updated data to foster stronger decisions and better outcomes. The EHR must ensure patient information is both correct and clear to empower relevant and effective care.
- Interoperable. Technology must support teamwork across care locations. Interoperability is essential as physicians work together to create and carry out care plans, especially in rural and community settings where specialty care is often limited.
High quality healthcare hinges on the right mix of people and technology
At CRMC, a decade with TruBridge shows what’s possible when tools are familiar, functional, and adaptable. With strategic resources, clinicians and back-office staff are equipped to deliver high quality care in every community. If your teams are spending more time navigating your EHR than using it to support care, it’s worth asking: is your technology helping you move forward, or holding you back?