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Key takeaways:
- A standard EHR is appropriate for small healthcare organizations, but an enterprise EHR is essential for larger or multi-location practices.
- Enterprise EHRs support greater efficiency, compliance, and scalability than standard EHRs.
- Before moving to an enterprise solution, organizations should consider their health IT infrastructure, growth forecast, and interoperability needs.
If your healthcare organization is expanding, your electronic health records (EHR) system could scale with you — or hold you back. EHRs are no longer one-size-fits-all, and what’s sufficient for one facility might fall short for another. To find the best solution for your organization, you’ll need to choose between an enterprise EHR system and a standard EHR system.
While standard EHRs still have their place, many organizations are transitioning to enterprise healthcare solutions because they’re redefining efficiency and scalability. This guide breaks down the differences between standard and enterprise EHR systems, explains their pros and cons, and offers expert guidance on selecting a solution.
Comparing Standard and Enterprise EHR Systems
EHR platforms provide healthcare staff access to digital versions of patients’ medical histories. Over 90% of hospitals have adopted EHR systems, with some using standard solutions and others upgrading to enterprise EHR.
What Is a Standard EHR?
A standard EHR is software that includes patients’ digital medical charts and appointment records. Many small, single-location practices use standard EHR because of the cost, simplicity, and basic features, including:
- Patient charting
- Scheduling
- Medical Billing
- E-prescriptions
These tasks are essential to healthcare facility operations, but the standard EHR also has drawbacks. Organizations hoping to scale often discover their EHR system can’t keep up with extensive data or multiple sites.
Another concern is the limitation of standard EHR interoperability, which 70% of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) rank as a top priority. Small-scale EHRs may not be able to share information with other systems, resulting in more manual work for your staff. In addition, EHR customization and integration are lacking in standard systems, making it more challenging to adapt them to your practice’s specific needs.
What Is an Enterprise EHR?
An enterprise EHR is a robust, scalable system ideal for multi-site operations. It has all the capabilities of a standard system, plus these additional benefits:
- Multi-location data access
- Role-based user management
- Advanced analytics and interoperability
- Integrations with enterprise resource planning (ERP) and revenue cycle management (RCM) systems
- Enterprise-grade compliance with key regulations, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, System and Organization Controls 2 (SOC 2), and the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST)
- Advanced cloud architecture, enabling secure data storage and remote management
These features make enterprise-grade solutions the standard choice for EHR for large practices, as well as for multi-location EHR.
Why Growing Healthcare Organizations Need an Enterprise EHR
By 2019, 63.2% of hospitals had comprehensive EHR systems, mainly due to their sizes and complex needs. Many other organizations have followed suit, particularly when expanding.
Organizations face many pain points while scaling, including:
- System slowdowns
- Data silos
- Limited reporting visibility
- Compliance challenges
Enterprise EHR scalability allows you to overcome these obstacles. Its cloud-based infrastructure ensures higher uptime, keeping you continuously connected to patient files. It also has built-in redundancies, storing multiple copies of your files across different locations so you don’t have to worry about data loss.
In addition, certified EHRs for large practices unify patient data across sites to eliminate silos and connect departments, such as billing and scheduling, through automated workflows.
These advantages help justify the cost of upgrading to an enterprise system. Gains in efficiency, revenue, and compliance allow you to achieve a return on your investment (ROI).
Key Considerations Before Upgrading
If you’re considering switching from a standard to an enterprise EHR, start by researching the options. Understanding what to expect will make the transition smoother and more successful.
Enterprise Upgrade Checklist
Before committing to an enterprise EHR solution, take a closer look at your needs and challenges, particularly your practice size and growth forecast. If you expect significant expansion over the next several years, moving to an enterprise system can help prevent issues with patient records and care.
Then, follow this checklist:
- Confirm your healthcare IT infrastructure can handle an enterprise-grade system.
- Plan for necessary changes or improvements.
- Make a list of systems you’ll need to integrate with your new EHR.
- Select an enterprise EHR that follows regulatory requirements.
Migration Made Easy With PrognoCIS
Integrating systems, moving your data, and training employees are time-consuming processes that can slow down your migration from a standard to a cloud-based enterprise EHR. PrognoCIS supports healthcare organizations at every step, following industry best practices and providing expert guidance along the way. Our team can offer training, resources, and long-term support to your employees, alleviating much of the stress of the transition.
What Makes an EHR Enterprise-Ready?
Enterprise EHR leverages familiar technologies in unique ways to improve healthcare organization efficiency and performance. For example, while 94% of enterprises use the cloud in some capacity, an enterprise EHR should have an advanced cloud architecture with a comprehensive framework capable of connecting systems, departments, and locations.
It should also enable data-driven care using a combination of clinical and financial data. AI EHR software can draw insights from this information, allowing healthcare organizations to understand performance and develop better strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does an enterprise EHR support multi-location practices?
An enterprise EHR provides a centralized platform for healthcare staff to access patient records, schedules, and billing.
2. Is an enterprise EHR more expensive?
An enterprise EHR is generally more expensive than a standard system, but the ROI can be higher.
3. What are the biggest benefits for IT teams?
Enterprise EHR is beneficial to IT teams due to its interoperability with existing systems.
4. How long does EHR migration take?
The timeline depends on your practice size, but migration can take a few months to a year.
Choosing the Right EHR for Your Growth
Standard and enterprise EHRs have three core differences:
- Scalability, for practice growth
- Interoperability, for integration with existing systems
- Compliance, for data privacy and adherence to regulations such as HIPAA
These distinctions make enterprise EHR a future-ready investment for large or growing healthcare facilities.
Whether you’re expanding your practice or managing a hospital network, PrognoCIS Enterprise EHR scales with you — securely and efficiently. Reach out to get a free quote or request a demo.
