These 4 EMR system features can make physical therapy documentation a breeze

An electronic medical records (EMR) system is a digital cataloging system that contains patients’ medical records. EMR systems are often integrated into health care provider settings. They’re used as a means of streamlining the documentation process. They can be helpful to a variety of people; this includes anyone involved in a clinic’s documentation process like admin or physical therapists.

In general, an EMR system can improve your documentation process in several different ways. It makes it easier to create documents, store patient information, send out records to other facilities and protect patient confidentiality.

In recent years, the rate at which clinicians have adopted electronic medical records systems has more than doubled. Learn why so many health care offices have decided to take up EMR systems and how they can improve your physical therapy documentation processes. 

3 types of documentation a physical therapy practice will need to create for any given patient

• Initial evaluation documentation — Whenever a new patient first comes into the office for a physical therapy session, therapists must create a thoroughly detailed initial evaluation of the patient’s current condition. 

• Documentation of each follow-up session — For each follow-up session after the initial appointment, therapists will create equally detailed notes with progress reports and any other useful information or updates.

• Summary of reasons for discontinuation of services — When a physical therapist decides to discontinue services or discharge a patient, they must again create documentation for the practice’s records. This type of documentation usually includes descriptions of reasons for the discontinuation of services.

4 EMR system features that specifically help make documentation easier

• Printing materials for patients — An EMR system can make file storage easier. You no longer need filing cabinets with paper file folders and a manual method for organizing each record in your files. Your electronic records can be easily organized in several ways, but don’t worry. If your patients need physical copies of their documentation, printing out their materials is as easy as one click.

• Setting reminders in the clinic — Another benefit of an EMR system is that it can help you set up and receive important reminders in the office. A reminder system can make all the difference to practitioners and admin who have busy schedules.

• Recording patient history — Recording patient histories can be made simple with the help of an electronic medical records system. Information can be quickly inputted into devices like tablets or computers and synced to all office devices. This way, up-to-date patient information can be quickly accessed by all who need it.

• Showing test results — Test results from outside organizations or other health care facilities can be quickly mailed electronically. Results can be shown to care providers and patients in a timely manner and can be pulled up at any desired time.

Useful for anyone involved in your clinic’s documentation process

If you’re someone who is part of your physical therapy practice’s documentation process, you’ve come to the right place. EMR systems can be useful for a variety of different roles in the office, including admin and physical therapists. Read below to see why AgileEMR may be the right choice for your specific practice.

AgileEMR can help streamline physical therapy documentation at your practice

AgileEMR is a health care practice management software solution designed for therapists and created by therapists. We officially launched our software in 2013 to get to the root of the issues that physical therapists and clinicians frequently run into with generic clinical EMR systems: None of them were created with physical therapy in mind. We consulted with physical therapists and physiotherapy clinicians when developing our physical therapy software. This was how we could confidently ensure that our software program meets the demands of this unique health care field. Since launching, AgileEMR has been used in more than 1 million patient cases by all kinds of providers in the outpatient physical therapy and hospital rehabilitation fields. We know that EMR systems are driving the future of outpatient physical therapy. To see our physical therapy and rehabilitation partners, click here.

If you’re a physical therapy clinic owner and you’re looking for more information on EMR systems or the features of our EMR program, look no further. We’re confident that our program can meet all your practice needs and can help streamline documentation at your physical therapy practice. For more information on what features you should look for in an EMR system, read here.

Contact our team today for more information or to schedule a demo to see how AgileEMR can help your practice.