What Are the Different Types of EHR Software?

EHR software, which stands for electronic health records software, is a kind of software used by health professionals and hospitals around the world. Many types of EHR software exist throughout the medical and health fields, all having different tools and features depending on what the client needs and how the client needs to access patient information. Since most health professionals must handle large numbers of incoming patients, their software must be up to date and efficient when processing patients and keeping their records. Adapting from paper records to digital records has become the norm in hospitals, and the type of software they use include those for disease management, billing and medical records.

One of the EHR software types manages cases of disease management, which can be installed onto normal desktop computers, laptops or tablet computers. The software organizes all a doctor's or nurse's patients on a computer and makes lists that can be customized based on the health professional’s needs. It consists of an organizational hierarchy that can be set from general to specific or can group patients and their records based on commonalities or exact matching. Having this software on a tablet computer is especially beneficial because the screen change is quick and ultimately, in theory, may allow a hospital run more efficiently. The software may also wirelessly connect to the hospital network and sync up records that exist on some other computer.

Another type of EHR software that is common in the medical field is software used for billing patients. Claims are inputted into the software system and organized to keep track of patients' bills. This software can also be connected to a common network across other hospitals to keep track of the same patients, should those patients need to make multiple hospital visits. The benefit of having this type of software is that it keeps all records organized and is efficient enough to allow doctors more time for focusing on patients.

Electronic medical records (EMR) software is another common kind of EHR software used by health professionals around the world. One type of EMR software is used by health professionals for collaboration on medical procedures and techniques. This is a beneficial type of software because it allows health professionals efficient access to new and cutting edge procedures and reduces the amount of travel for doctors and surgeons. The reduction in travel also cuts down on expenses paid by the hospital, which serves the interest of the hospital in regards to expense distribution.