Oncologists have been trying to keep their practices afloat in face of myriad of challenges, including new government regulations, change in payment options, shift to ACOs and implementation of  Electronic Health Records (EHRs).

Therefore, community Oncologists are struggling to improve their practice efficiency and financial health by increasing reimbursement rate, while focusing on value-care of patients. This calls for innovation in healthcare technology, which is the most essential tool in enabling physicians to provide quality and cost-effective care to patients. EHRs are one of the most important components of healthcare technology that can help Oncologists meet their financial goals and operate efficiently.



While moving from paper-based system to EHR or replacing your existing electronic system, Oncologists should ensure certain facts while adopting the software:

Needs of your practice

Oncology is a specialty practice that has its unique demands and needs in terms of medical treatment of patients and practice workflow. Therefore, it will be wise and beneficial for Oncologists to adopt a specialty EHR that has been developed keeping in view the diagnosis, procedures and treatment of cancer patients; and functions of clinical and billing operations of the practice.

The Oncology specific EHR will have the accurate codes necessary for cancer diagnosis and procedures. Moreover, the charts and diagrams, provider note templates, and case history module will be customized according to the medical requirements of cancer patients.

In case of multiple physicians, Oncologists will be able to have access to patient records created by other physicians. This coordination will allow every physician to avoid medication or treatment mistakes that may prove to be fatal for the patient.

Oncology is one of the busiest specialties in medicine. The unpredictable nature of their patient’s disease and condition requires Oncologists to be available at all times. Therefore, EHRs should be compatible with various operating software and gadgets so that Oncologists have access to complete patient records outside their practices.