Digital transformation remains a top priority for healthcare organizations seeking to reduce upfront investments in Health IT infrastructure and improve technology performance and reliability to support data-driven clinical practice. This process has been accelerated by the recent crisis.

Before the introduction of lockdown measures, healthcare organizations were facing difficulties in reducing operating costs associated with health information technology infrastructure and improving patient engagement, along with a streamlined health information infrastructure.

As the pandemic situation continues to unfold, tools for ambulatory care have become even more crucial for connecting patients with eye care providers. Yet, patients may not be aware of these tools or may be reluctant to make the change due to various reasons. Successful patient engagement requires outreach, education, and encouragement to ensure patients feel comfortable embracing this patient engagement technology.

Educating and involving patients throughout the clinical process brings positive results to the practice flow. It helps patients better understand their overall health with complete and accurate health records, and it assists eye care practitioners in making informed medical decisions.

Bridging the Gap Between Eye Care Providers and Their Patients:
Patients put off clinical visits following the outbreak of Covid-19 due to fear of exposure. Virtual visits through phone calls and video consultations required eye care providers to periodically extract patients’ health information, which delayed the practice flow and led to challenges in patient care. Eye care providers needed technology-enabled virtual care models with accurate health information flow to provide seamless and quality care.

Involving patients early and often in clinical trials is instrumental in today’s eye care practices. Patient engagement not only improves and makes eye care clinics' practice flow more cost-effective, but also successfully leverages the patient's viewpoint and improves participation by better balancing the cooperation between the eye care provider and the patient.

A Cloud-based solution can bridge the gap between eye care providers and their patients. It encompasses the attributes necessary to develop a streamlined health IT infrastructure and integrates components of the eye care ecosystem.

One-tap appointment booking, along with complete health information at patients' fingertips, opens a gateway connecting them with ophthalmologists and allows patients to integrate into the eye-care ecosystem. It also helps patients stay in touch with their doctors. An integrated online payment system simplifies virtual visits (teleconsultations) and in-person visits, contributing to a well-organized care delivery system.

Access to complete patient health information—including allergies, birth history, genomics, nutritional history, immunization history, surgical history, personal and demographic information, previous medical records, and uploaded images—enables informed decision-making. It also extracts daily activity data such as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, sleep cycle, steps count, calories burned, workout summaries, and more from wearable devices.

The system provides patients with a detailed case history, from chief complaints to vitals, diagnosis, test results, and treatments, and allows them to manage whole family health records in one place.

Conclusion:
The rapid rise in digital transformation, accelerated by the Covid crisis, has helped the healthcare ecosystem overcome its shortcomings and strengthened healthcare IT infrastructure. Adoption rates indicate that EHRs represent the new wave of digital transformation in healthcare, helping healthcare organizations move forward with streamlined care delivery systems.

To learn how the magical touch of this ophthalmic EHR has helped Max Vision Super-Specialty Hospitals integrate with the healthcare ecosystem!