Five Ways to Evaluate Your Vendor’s EHR Integration

Kara Bodner

Whether you use Epic, Oracle Health, MEDITECH, eClinicalWorks, athenahealth, NextGen, Greenway Health, or another EHR, you’ve likely heard the phrase “EHR first.” With the electronic health record (EHR) serving as the core source of truth for healthcare organizations, the effectiveness of the rest of your technology depends on its ability to seamlessly integrate with your EHR. Effective EHR integration makes patient information accessible and actionable across different platforms, facilitating smoother workflows and better care coordination. 

Let’s examine the essential aspects of evaluating EHR integration capabilities and advanced solutions tailored to healthcare facilities’ needs, so that your technology ultimately optimizes patient care and connection.

What is an Electronic Health Record (EHR)?

Electronic Health Record (EHR): An EHR is a digital version of a patient’s medical history and information. It consolidates data from various healthcare providers into a single, comprehensive record. EHRs facilitate patient care management by providing instant access to medical histories, test results, and treatment plans. Leading EHR vendors include Epic, Oracle Health, MEDITECH, eClinicalWorks, athenahealth, NextGen, and Greenway Health.

EHR Integration: EHR integration refers to the process of connecting the EHR system with other healthcare management systems and technologies. Effective integrations result in a patient journey where information flows seamlessly between different systems, improving continuity of care and operational efficiency.

Examples of EHR Integrations

The EHR serves as the source of truth for healthcare providers, and most other systems integrate with it to maintain that single source of truth. Here are just a few examples of EHR integrations you might use:

  • Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) Integration: Integrating the EHR with Laboratory Information Systems allows for automatic transmission of lab results directly into patient records. This eliminates the need for manual entry, reduces errors, and makes lab results immediately available to healthcare providers.
  • Radiology Information Systems (RIS) Integration: Connecting Radiology Information Systems with the EHR enables radiology reports and imaging results to be directly accessible within the patient’s electronic health record. This integration streamlines the workflow for radiologists and other healthcare providers.
  • Pharmacy Management Systems Integration: Integrating the EHR with pharmacy management systems allows for electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) and real-time updates of medication lists, which keeps medication information up-to-date and reduces the risk of prescription errors.
  • Patient Engagement Integration: Integrating the EHR with patient-facing engagement technology, such as appointment reminders, allows patients to see and interact with relevant information about their healthcare that relates to upcoming appointments or follow-ups. One specific example:
    • Luma’s Text-First Patient Scheduling Integration. Integrating Luma’s text-first scheduling system with EHR systems simplifies appointment scheduling by allowing patients to book appointments via text messages. This system automates appointment reminders, confirmations, cancellations, and follow-ups, and syncs all scheduling information directly with the EHR.
  • Wearable Health Devices Integration. Connecting wearable health devices, such as fitness trackers and medical monitoring devices, with the EHR allows for real-time data from these devices to be incorporated into patient records. This helps healthcare providers monitor patient health trends and intervene when necessary.

How to Evaluate a Vendor’s EHR Integration

So, how do you evaluate whether a vendor integrates well with your EHR? The following five factors should guide your choices:

1. Interoperability with Existing Systems

A fundamental factor to assess when evaluating a vendor’s EHR integration is how well the system connects with your existing tech stack.

Key Considerations:

  • System Compatibility: New vendors should be able to effectively link with your current systems. For example, you might need a patient engagement vendor to integrate with your EHR, your population health management system, and your patient education content library.
  • Data Exchange Standards: Ensure the integration supports data exchange standards like HL7, FHIR, and DICOM, facilitating smooth communication across various platforms.

2. Ease of Use

The user experience is crucial for ensuring healthcare staff can effectively adopt a new vendor into their workflows without adding extra work or processes.

Key Considerations:

  • Fit with Existing User Workflows: Look for vendors that integrate seamlessly not just with your systems, but with your existing workflows. Most users should not need to log in or double-document information if the EHR integration is sound.
  • Effective Use of Information: Choose vendors that integrate deeply enough with your EHR so staff don’t need to fill in the gaps by manually documenting information that was not carried over.

3. Compliance with Regulatory Standards

Compliance with regulatory standards is non-negotiable; any system you bring on board must comply with all legal and ethical practices in healthcare in your area.

Key Considerations:

  • HIPAA Compliance: Verify the EHR integration adheres to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to protect patient information.
  • Additional Regulations: Confirm the integration meets any other specific regulations relevant to your region or type of practice.

4. Data Security Measures

Robust data security is essential for protecting sensitive patient information from unauthorized access and breaches. Especially as cyberattacks continue to grow, data security is likely one of the most important considerations when your organization looks to add a new vendor to your technology stack.

Key Considerations:

  • Encryption: Verify the integration includes strong encryption protocols for data at rest and in transit.
  • Access Controls: Look for comprehensive access controls that manage user permissions and data access.

5. Customer Support and Service

Reliable customer support is crucial for resolving issues and ensuring the smooth operation of any system integrated with your EHR.

Key Considerations:

  • Support Availability: Assess the availability of customer support, including response times and the range of support channels (phone, email, chat).
  • Service Quality: Research reviews or testimonials regarding the vendor’s support service to gauge the effectiveness of their assistance.

Luma’s EHR Integration 

Luma’s Patient Success Platform integrates with the EHR to give patients easier access to your healthcare system, such as with patient self-scheduling, EHR-integrated intake and consent forms, and reminders integrated with your EHR schedule.

It checks all the boxes of a solid EHR integration: 

  • Luma is designed to work with a wide array of existing systems, minimizing disruptions and ensuring cohesive data management. Luma integrates with your EHR, population health management system, revenue cycle management system, CRM, and much more.
  • Luma provides user-friendly solutions and extensive training resources. Automated appointment reminders and follow-ups actually save time for your staff, instead of adding more manual tasks to their plates.
  • Luma follows the gold standard in information security. Luma is HIPAA-compliant, ISO 27001:2022 Certified,  HITRUST CSF r2 Certified, and performs a SOC 2 Type II attestation annually.
  • Luma is known for its exceptional customer support, with dedicated implementation staff and customer success managers for each healthcare organization. Deep experience with leading EHRs including Epic, Oracle Health, MEDITECH, eClinicalWorks, athenahealth, NextGen, and Greenway Health allows us to effectively support your organization, whether you need out-of-the-box or custom workflows.

Any organization looking improve efficiency and patient care with a new vendor needs to prioritize vendors with good EHR integration. Interoperability, ease of use, regulatory compliance, data security, and customer support are critical factors to help you evaluate systems that will enhance your organization’s work, not add extra tasks or maintenance.

Book a demo today to discover how Luma’s integration capabilities can enhance operations and patient engagement.