What is the best electronic record system for private GPs?
There are two main GP record systems used in NHS care in the UK: System1 and EMIS Web. System1 is not available to private practitioners, but EMIS Web is.
EMIS is used in ~60% of NHS GP practices nationally, as well as in Jersey, the Isle of Man and Gibraltar. The system offers a robust consulting mode, rich clinical reporting, and a comprehensive set of medication and pathology modules.
Whilst there are other record systems built specifically for the private sector, in our experience these solutions fall short of the NHS systems in terms of functionality and compliance. They also offer limited/no interoperability with NHS practices (e.g., no PDS, GP Connect) for joined up care.
Using EMIS as a private GP
Having used 4 other private sector record systems before switching to EMIS, I would now never consider anything else. EMIS is designed to meet NHS (and therefore the CQC’s) standards, and we are able to operate more safely and compliantly since we migrated – it is foundational to our practice.
Clinical Director
But what about billing?
EMIS does not contain an inbuilt billing and invoicing module. However, EMIS users can access a wider partner program of integrated products – and one of these, 'Hero’, will deliver a full set of invoicing, payment and accounting functionality.
What are the advantages of electronic patient records?
There are a multitude of factors that explain why electronic patient records have replaced traditional paper record keeping. Key reasons include:
Electronic records enable quicker access to key record data. Electronic records can be structured in such a way as to make information retrieval much easier – as a basic example, a good record system will enable you to quickly surface a patient’s BMI measurements captured over a 20 year period (an otherwise arduous task).
Best in class electronic patient record systems will augment the decision making of clinicians. For example, EMIS Web has a ‘decision support’ system, which prompts clinicians to consider various clinician decisions (e.g., a sepsis calculator is opened for children presenting with a temperature).
Electronic records systems contain a number of access restrictions, which limit which staff members can see sensitive information. Whilst this isn’t necessarily more secure than a traditional ‘lock and key’, record systems also have the benefit of ‘audit trails’ showing exactly which staff members have viewed a patient’s record.
Where as traditional paper record systems cannot be easily shared (certainly not without duplicating the physical file), digital record systems often facilitate read only sharing. This enables clinicians to deliver more joined up care.
