1. Clinical Information Systems
Electronic health records (EHRs), by streamlining how health care is provided, can improve
the efficiency of medical records and the quality of care (Jette, 2019). Clinical
documentation needs to reflect and be consistent with the care provided (Jette, 2019).
Tracking patient’s records and their care has improved the quality of care by reducing
errors (Balestra, 2019).Briefly describe the selected EHR software solutions. Include three
features of each software in the description.EPIC EHREpic is an electronic medical record
that is a centralized solution for health care communication and documentation. It delivers
and coordinates care through dedicated modules for many specialties, including hospitals,
long-term care, labs, rehab, urgent care, and many more. This software offers many
features, including but not limited to telehealth, analytics, and clinical.TelehealthTelehealth
has a patient portal for patients to manage their care through electronic access to their
healthcare information. They can schedule appointments, attend electronic telehealth visits,
message their doctors, provide better health outcomes, and be accessible and available on
tablets and phones. It also allows for monitoring patients in ICU, manages chronic diseases,
has central deterioration monitoring, and allows case managers to manage care and
coordinate discharge plans in acute care settings, hospitals, and rural
settings.AnalyticsAnalytics collects all the information that has been imputed and curates all
the information at one point so that users can access it; it provides dashboards and reports
that are utilized for bench marking and quality improvement of patient care. Analytics
allows the health care team to investigate through the built-in dashboards and quickly
provide adequate care to the patient. The management of data allows for quick answers to
complicated questions by combining the clinical data that has been inputted by care staff,
allowing for quick decision-making.ClinicalThe clinical program is tailored to fit the
organization’s needs, from workflow to the layout of screens. Clinical documentation, care
planning, medications administration and orders, physician updates are at the fingertips of
all staff. Data inputted by the health care professionals are linked and streamlines to get
patients healthier faster, connecting physicians through the web, mobile phones, and high
other tech methods. The staff has access to one point of care date, real-time, allowing for
quick response, solutions, and positive patient outcomes.iCare ManageriCare manager is
software primarily used by assisted livings and small group homes for the elderly. It
focuses specifically on the elderly and their diagnosis and plan of care. It is a relatively new
system focusing on the small providers of long-term healthcare. iCare is an electronic
medical record that is a centralized electronic solution for assisted livings, providing
2. documentation at one point that is accessible to other users within the same
organization. It delivers and coordinates care through dedicated modules specific to
assisted livings. This software offers analytics, Emar, assessments, care tracker, clinical
documentation, staff licensure, and staffing schedules.EMARElectronic medical records can
coordinate all medications based on scheduled administration time, allow staff to sign
medication administration, and send alerts to managers for any missed mediations,
allowing for quick follow-up. It can set parameters, create a face-sheet with all patient
demographics, including physician and pharmacy information. Its clear screen display
allows for streamlined medication administration by care staff and links with a pharmacy
for accurate updates and changes with new medication orders.AssessmentsThe assisted
living completed routine and regular assessments on all residents based on health care
regulations. iCare Manager has a component designed to meet the specific documentation
requirement for delegating nurses and managers by health care regulatory
requirements.Care TrackerAssisted Livings are required to track and document the ADLs of
all the patients. Care tracker is a component of iCare, where care staff can log in and
document all care provided daily. It can scan documents that can be integrated into the
patient’s chart and easily accessible to the healthcare team. It tracks and sends alerts to the
manager and delegating nurse any abnormal issues or concerns. For example, if a patient
has not had a bowel movement for three days, an alert will be sent to quickly take the
appropriate action, resulting in better patient outcomes.All components of the iCare
manager are integrated, allowing for access on mobile phones and pads. Physician, nursing
team pharmacy all have access to one point allowing for seamless, efficient care and
outcomes.Compare and contrast the benefits of the two selected EHR software
solutions.EPIC and iCare are both web-based electronic health record software. Epic is
aimed for use at hospitals and acute care settings; iCare is specific for assisted livings. Both
have a good workflow and are easy to use; EPIC can be customized, iCare is not
customizable. Epic provides a patient portal for patients to log in and manage their health
care; iCare does not have a patient portal. Both allow providers to scan documents and save
them in the patient’s portal, and both are easily accessible from mobile phones. Acute care
and hospitals settings use EPIC, which has been around for some time and can meet their
communication and documentation needs. iCare is relatively new and is still going through
growing pains, but it is by far one of the best soft wares for small assisted livings with less
than 16 residents. Both have issues related to web-based access. If power or connection is
lost, it places the health care providers in the difficult position of trying to care without
access to the patient portal and could increase errors.Select an EHR software solution that is
best suited for your workplace environment. Identify the workplace environment (hospital,
stand-alone private practice, etc.) and provide your rationale for the selected software.iCare
is best suited for my care environment. As a small assisted living provider with 16 residents
and low staff numbers, meeting the regulatory requirements can be challenging. iCare, with
its user-friendly software, allows for easy documentation of assessments, care plans,
nursing notes, and direct connectivity with pharmacy and physicians, makes it a cost-
effective and user-friendly solution that meets our needs. The staff has direct access to
EMAR for daily medication administration, and the caretaker tracks activities of daily living
3. required by our regulatory board. iCare sends alerts directly to mobile devices if
medications are missed or omitted or any abnormal readings of vital signs, weights, bowel
movements. Continued upgrades are needed to accommodate the changing needs of small
assisted livings, according to Schopf et al. (2019), substantial development is required to
improve the EHR to support patients’ health information for healthcare providers
accurately. “An abundance of healthcare information can be managed through databases by
using electronic medical records, and this makes data more easily shared between
providers and organizations” (Kruse et al, 2018. p.14)