Is Documentation Getting in the Way of Providing Patient Care?

Ask anyone in the world of health care why they entered the profession, and they’ll overwhelmingly respond with the same answer: patient care and the ability to help people in need. You'll never hear anyone say they entered the field for the joy of completing documentation or complying with regulations.

Patient care and documentation are at opposite ends of the spectrum, yet when it comes to time spent on these two tasks, many healthcare professionals find that the latter seems to be winning out.

Research from the American Hospital Association shows healthcare professionals in many fields spend nearly as much time on documentation as they do on patient care. In some cases, the ratio is an even split. According to the research, every hour of patient care:

• Results in one hour of documentation for emergency department teams.
• Adds 36 minutes of paperwork for surgery and inpatient acute care teams.
• Forces skilled nursing care facility employees to spend a half hour on paperwork.
• Means home healthcare workers are spending 48 minutes on paperwork related to those services.

Returning the focus to patient care

The AHA's research provides a comprehensive look at the difficulties healthcare providers face in juggling patient care with their documentation and regulation requirements. And while the above examples characterize the challenges faced by these four teams, providers all across the healthcare space face similar obstacles regarding their precious time.

But can the process be streamlined to return providers to their natural role of focusing on patient care?

The solution to this challenge can be found in technology. Increasing the efficiency of the data recording process, while minimizing mistakes, allows healthcare professionals to return their focus to where it belongs: patient care, not paperwork. ICANotes' behavioral health EHR can help practices solve this challenge.

In settings where ICANotes software has been implemented, EHR solutions have been proven to:

• Minimize typing
• Update charts immediately without dictation
• Retrieve charts in seconds
• Minimize or eliminate errors
• Allow providers to access charts anywhere

Each of these solutions saves providers valuable time they can then redirect to their patients. And that's good news, not only for the patients but for the providers themselves. After all, caring for patients is why you entered the profession in the first place.

To learn more about our Behavioral Health EHR solutions, please contact us today or request your free trial.