The role of the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is shifting: now, any support for next-generation business models, such as patient-centered care is key. As more electronic medical records (EMRs) come onto the market,it’s becoming difficult to choose one that will remain usable well into the future.

Tomorrow’s EMRs will need to be interoperable, scalable, easy to maintain, and offer a user-friendly interface and potential for mobile computing.

One EMR, gloEMR from gloStream, can meet these requirements. Below are some of the characteristics EMRs will likely need to have to truly be successful in the years to come - characteristics gloEMR has.

Interoperability. Microsoft Office has been around for decades, and every year Microsoft spends billions of dollars on Office-related research and development. gloEMR is the only EMR with Microsoft Office built right in, which makes the sharing of data simple.

Scalability. It doesn’t matter how small or large your practice is: gloEMR’s Microsoft technology makes it easy to create practice-specific templates for routine encounters, without expensive programming.

Maintainability. Microsoft technology is used worldwide and all IT professionals are familiar with it. gloEMR’s use of this technology reduces implementation time as well as ongoing maintenance.

Friendliness. gloEMR offers a user-friendly dashboard, so one click is all it takes to find, view and work with the most critical patient information. Through the dashboard, doctors can track patient location from admission to discharge, access and share daily schedules and calendars, order labs, refill prescriptions and more. It’s completely intuitive.

If you’re worried that you’ll be stranded by an EMR provider that isn’t in the business for the long haul, choose an EMR provider that protects your investment, such as gloStream.

If you implemented an electronic medical record (EMR) in 2011, you’ll need to start your meaningful use process by July in order to get their attestation done in time. Don’t worry, gloStream can help, thanks to gloEMR and its innovative implementation process, gloDNA.

As you probably know by now, healthcare practitioners can earn federal incentives of up to $63,750 for meaningfully using a certified EMR.

To be a meaningful user of a EMR, you’ll need to meet 20 of 25 possible criteria. Some criteria are simple (such as recording demographic data), and some are complex (such as distributing clinical summaries to all patients you see).

The deadline to show compliance for 2012 is October 3, 2012, but it’s trickier than stating a date. That’s because in order to earn your incentives, you’ll have to comply with these meaningful use criteria for 90 days in the initial incentive payment year. So, if you started in 2012, you have to start 90 days prior to October 3, or the beginning of July.

Because you likely need some time to get your EMR set up and begin meeting the meaningful use criteria, you’ll probably want to start thinking about this now.

At gloStream, our EMR, gloEMR, comes with an innovative implementation process called gloDNA, which stands for “gloStream Detailed Needs Analysis."  During this process we gather information to help us create an ideal EMR solution you. It’s so proven, we offer a 15-day success guarantee. If we can't get your practice back to full patient load within 15 days of your glo-live date, we'll refund gloStream software and services.

An electronic medical record (EMR) implementation isn't just about replacing paper charts with digital technology. EMRs also provide a perfect opportunity to review and improve your workflows. The result can be increased efficiencies—which means decreased costs.

Your medical practice has probably been doing things the same way for a long time. Maybe you think you do things well, and most likely you actually do. Most practices, however, have not recently reviewed and optimized processes to the extent possible. Few have standardized procedures in writing, for example.

Implementing an EMR won't automatically make these improvements. In fact, most people think EMRs solve problems, but they actually amplify problems that already exist in a practice.

Because of this, adopting an EMR presents a good opportunity for you to make your practice more efficient by reviewing processes and optimizing your own workflows. In fact, you may find that with little effort you are able to identify new efficiencies that could save time and money.

Be patient, however. The adoption of technology is an iterative process. In other words, while EMRs are full of functions that will bring efficiency to your practice if implemented correctly, this won't happen overnight. Give it some time. Typically, health care groups are in the learning and adoption phase of their transition for several months. You should see results after that.