Author: Attune Technologies

The Benefits of a Hospital Management Information System.

It is important to evaluate and understand the benefits of Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) thoroughly and pit them against the needs of your hospital when trying to figure out why you need an HMIS implemented in your hospital.

Here we list out some of the unique benefits of HMIS and how they impact hospital processes. Pit them against your needs and see if they fit:

1. Easy Access To Patient Data

A well-implemented HMIS means readily available patient data to the care providers. It is only a matter of few clicks and all the requisite information about a patient, from various departments in the hospital, can be available on the screen. If the treating doctor needs to re-check the test reports of a patient, he need not go looking for the IPD file in the patient floor; logging into the HMIS will give him instant access to those reports and timely treatment decisions ensue. If the HMIS is implemented, the doctor will be able to access reports remotely improving productivity.

2. Cost Effective

HMIS cuts out a lot of manual work that are performed in hospitals especially documentation and record keeping. The level of human intervention is really low with a well-implemented HMIS. It helps in cutting down manpower costs because a lot of work gets automated and does not require manual intervention to store or analyze the information. HMIS also saves much on storage and the related costs. A well-implemented HMIS practically makes a hospital paper free. (Only the legally mandatory documents need to be maintained on paper to comply with the rules.)

3. Plugs Revenue Leakage

Because processes on HMIS are automated and a lot of tasks are assigned to the software to be performed with utmost accuracy, with minimum human intervention, the scope of error is reduced dramatically. For instance, while billing an IDP patient for consumables used, with HIS the bill can hardly go wrong because the consumables used are immediately entered into the HMIS by the nurse under the patient’s ID. Per unit rate of the consumable is already saved in the software as part of standard operating procedure of automation; merely selecting the consumable name and the quantity will enable the software to calculate the amount due accurately.

4. Increased Data Security & Retrieve-ability

Record keeping in hospitals is a mandatory bane with two challenges: keeping the data safe with only authorized personnel getting access to it and retrieving it within the minimum time possible. Add to these the perennial problems like space shortage, protection from natural elements and protection from pest damage etc.

When HMIS is implemented in a hospital, all the data is stored on the server or Cloud. Since HMIS works on logins, data security is not an issue as long as the personnel keep their passwords secret and safe. Logins ensure that only when logged in from the login, which has access rights, will anyone be able to access the data, ensuring data safety. Retrieve-ability of data stored on a server or Cloud is only a matter of few clicks.

5. Improved Operational Effectiveness

Improved access to patient data and improved work efficiency means better and faster clinical decisions. In this age of evidence based medicine, the faster the clinician gets the diagnostic reports and the quicker his orders are implemented the faster is the patient’s recovery and the better it is on the patient care index. With automation, all departments in the hospitals are inter-connected and faster information access further improves the quality of patient care and the resultant bed turnover in the hospital.

6. Accountability

HMIS comes with logins. Logins are like individual locks the key of which is alpha numeric with special characters. Every employee who needs to work on HMIS is given an individual login with access controls. Every task happens through logins, only. HMIS gives the kind of accountability that manual processes never manage to give. With an audit trail, HMIS allows every task to be traced to the employee who performed it.

To know more about the benefits of HMIS automation, click here.

Evaluating HIS on 5 points for technology assisted business features.

Hospital Information System (HIS) is no doubt the most sought after solution to efficiently automate hospital processes and improve operational excellence. But every business is about getting more business.

In this post we assess HIS for its business-technology compatibility and why it is as effective in a business-focused evaluation as it is in an operational excellence evaluation.

1. Decreased Operational Expenses Owing To Lesser Errors

Automated processes on HIS do not face the fatigue or stress of a human and thus improve efficiency. Once configures and implemented, HIS will be practically on autopilot generating reports on metrics that matter to you. With HIS implemented,every procedure performed on the patient has a digital footprint and this comes in very handy in case of any kind of conflicts resulting in legal entanglements. Any kind of momentary loss due to lack of tractability of what exactly happened can be avoided completely.

2. Speed Means Higher Turnover

As most of the processes in HIS implemented hospitals are automated and since software and servers are hardly ever known to slow down, speed is one constant feature of HIS. The communication between various interlinked departments, the reporting of various tests, emergency as well as non-emergency communications etc. are speeded up because of HIS and the over all operational efficiency goes up many notches. Increased speed in operations also means higher number of tests in laboratories and diagnostic sections, speedy recovery of patients resulting in lowered average stay in the hospital and higher bed turnover rate. And all these means increased revenues.

3. Money Saved Is Money Earned

HIS cuts out a lot of manual work that are performed in hospitals especially the ones where documentation and record keeping is required. The level of human intervention is really low with a well implemented HIS. It helps in cutting down manpower costs because a lot of work gets automated and does not require manual intervention to store or analyze the information. HIS also helps save on storage and related costs. A well implemented HIS makes a hospital practically paper free. Cost effectiveness of hospital process automation means much of the operational expenses can now be utilized for better business investments.

4. Improved Operational Effectiveness = Better on Popularity Index

Improved access to patient data and improved work efficiency means better and faster clinical decisions. In this age of evidence based medicine, the faster the clinician gets the diagnostic reports and the quicker her orders are implemented, the faster is the patient’s recovery and the better it is on the patient care index. With automation, all departments in the hospitals are inter-connected and faster access to information further improves the quality of patient care. Being better on patient care index also means a better reputation as a care provider and more patients choosing your hospital, which effectively means higher revenues.

5. Higher Popularity Means Higher Number of Tie Ups

Walk-in patients are a good source of revenue for hospitals but tie-ups are a steadier source. Tie-ups mean that patients will be referred to the hospital as per the pre-decided terms and conditions and they continue till the agreement is in place. Higher popularity as a healthcare provider means that there will be more number of TPAs, insurance companies and other sources of referrers lining up to tie-up with the hospital.

HIS is not just about automation, it helps plug revenue leakages, improve patient care and maximize revenues.

And for each of the five points above, using a hospital insurance claims management solution along with an HIS can offer a major boost to the improvements that can be achieved.

Why not having your HIS on an in-house server is a better decision.

Your Hospital Information System (HIS) comes with a lot of advantages but obviously all of that comes at a cost. The cost of space, the cost of technology and the cost of implementation; how about cutting some cost where you can?

Opting for Cloud-based HIS vs. in-house server is an option that has many advantages and is a smart choice while automating your hospital processes. We take a peek into the most glaring advantages of having your Hospital Information System on Cloud and what makes it one of the smart business choices you will ever make:

1. Cost effective

The most obvious reason why Cloud-based Hospital Information System is a smart business choice. As the servers are off-site, it requires no hardware installation and the resultant licensing fees, maintenance costs and the software updates that will keep happening life-long for the software can be cut out immediately. The cost of hardware is eliminated from the equation too. Conveniently Cloud-based HIS only comes with monthly utility fees.

2. Data Security

One of the major concerns in a hospital information system is the security of the patient data that is generated on a daily basis and stored on the servers. Cloud-based HIS takes care of this almost perfectly. The data of the Cloud-based HIS is stored in encrypted form ensuring security. The encryption has high security levels and with practically no server downtime as compared to the on-site servers, Cloud-based HIS relieves the user of any operations problems and data security issues that arise out of the server being down.

3. Accessibility

In this age of evidence-based medicine, data accessibility is of paramount importance as far as effective patient care is concerned. Cloud-based HIS makes it very easy for data to be accessed from any location or any device. Since it is a wire-free technology, it does not require to be accessed through any particular terminal within the hospital; data can be accessed via proper logins through tablets, PCs and laptops located anywhere thus giving a work from home or clinic option to the clinicians and thereby speeding up the whole process of clinical decisions leading to quality patient care.

4. Reduced IT Requirements

A Cloud-based HIS means that the servers are off-site and all the costs associated with the hardware installation and the associated maintenance is nullified. The easy accessibility associated with Cloud based HIS not just makes data access easy, it also means it is easier to add users, units, departments, services etc. to the master log. This means you don’t have to go hunting the in-house IT team and anyone who has the login with administrator rights can do it easily. This also effectually saves on additional manpower costs spent on maintaining a big IT team to maintain the server, add/ edit the master logs etc.

5. Staggered Investments

Cloud-based HIS gives the hospital management the option of not buying a large server at the onset and blocking up capital. It takes away the risk of projecting the growth of the company correctly and buying a server that will be able to handle the data and operations load of that growth. Cloud-based HIS means the server space can be hired as and when the growth happens. There is no prior commitment and no blocked investment. Invest on server space only needs to happen when the need arises and that too only as an added amount in the form of monthly utility fees.

Cloud based HIS is secure, scalable and cost effective making it the smart decision for automation of your hospital.