In Long-Term Care Facilities, How are EHRs and EMARs Used?

 The terms electronic health records (EHRs) and electronic medical records (EMARs) get thrown around a lot, but there are some subtle distinctions between the two.

Each prescription is tracked by an EMAR to verify that it is given to the patient in the correct dosage. And that the medication is taken as prescribed, which improves both drug safety and medication compliance at the same time. EHR/EMAR solutions used by LTC pharmacies may vary from one facility to the next.

EHR and Electronic MAR systems are often chosen by long-term care institutions themselves, and many now have a single solution that functions as both. Some organizations continue to rely on in-house EHR/EMAR solutions designed using distinct technologies or a homemade version. While some long-term care institutions continue to utilize paper-based medication administration records (MARs) to keep track of patient drug consumption, this practice is inefficient and prone to human error. An integrated system reduces regulatory compliance difficulties, minimizes human mistakes, and provides real-time access to complete medical and drug administration information for each patient in long-term care.

It's important to understand why EHR and EMARs have such a big influence on your practice.

Effortless Charting

Unlike in hospitals and basic care clinics, long-term care institutions like skilled nursing facilities don't operate in the same manner. Patients in the aging population require a distinct collection of patient information. Also, a customized follow-up visit schedule, and specific billing and diagnostic codes.

This is why long-term care LTC pharmacy EMAR and EHR platforms feature charting tools that only ask for the patient information you need and use, default to the scheduling cadence you use most often, and make it easy to identify and pick the common codes needed to complete charts effectively. There are no additional pages, no extraneous fields, no tedious workarounds in the charting sequence. It works just as you expect.

 Automated delivery of patient notes

Patient progress notes can easily misplace, not signed by the treating physician.  And never reach the facility personnel who require them in order to provide the best possible care. Long-term care EHR systems expedite the distribution of patient notes by transferring them digitally and automatically to avoid these possible issues.