Hospital Information System: Types, Features, Benefits & Drawbacks

Introduction

A flexible and efficient Hospital Information System plays a vital role in every hospital. When it comes to healthcare systems, healthcare professionals adapt to the latest tech developments. They keep their IT infrastructures in top shape. HIS helps healthcare organizations overcome all the complex challenges facing today's healthcare industry. In this blog, we will explain what a hospital information system is and other vital elements associated with HIS.

What meaning of Hospital Information System (HIS)?

The Hospital Information System (HIS) is also called the Clinical Information System. It is an integrated and inclusive information system. It is designed to manage the financial, administrative, and clinical aspects of a hospital.

All hospitals use HIS to manage data related to hospital inventory and patient records. A HIS helps manage data for most medical departments. These include finance, patient, operating room, nursing, radiology, clinical, laboratory, outpatient, material, pharmacy, and pathology.

Various types of Hospital Information Systems (HIS)

1) Management system for medical practice

A practice management system is an integral part of the healthcare system. It handles various administrative and clinical tasks of your hospital. Intended for office work such as managing various documents, and scheduling appointments. Automate and streamline many activities to keep your facility running smoothly. Medical practice management software does not typically contain patient medical data.

Yet, it does accept insurance claims. Automatically process billing, process billing, and payments, and even generate reports. Healthcare management software can be used by any healthcare provider, regardless of size. Some of its benefits are automating routine paperwork allows you to focus more on the quality of patient care. Easy access to health data. You can view all the documents online.

2) Electronic Health Records (EHR)

EHR is another type of HIS that is concerned about the patient's medical information. Previously, doctors or nurses had to store every medical record of their patients manually on paper. But now, all you have to do is enter all the information into the EHR system. The best part is that you can access it instantly using your mobile phone or computer. Doctors can also easily share data between different departments. This enables faster and more accurate treatment.

3) Electronic Prescription Software

Electronic prescription software is an advantageous technology. It allows doctors to create prescriptions electronically. This allows prescriptions to be sent directly to the pharmacy with just a few clicks. When the patient gets there, the store is already ready with nutritional supplements. It eliminates the need for manually written notes, which are typically difficult to maintain.

Also, there are no prescription mix-ups. Pharmacists keep patients safe by giving them the right prescriptions. It also eliminates the possibility of misplaced prescriptions. Benefits include Healthcare providers can send prescriptions directly to pharmacies without the risk of losing them. Get quick and easy access to your patient's medication history with the pharmacy database.

4) Remote Patient Monitoring

New technologies, such as Augmented Reality, are considered by healthcare companies to make the process more visible and clear. It is already changing the way patient work is carried on forever.

5) Master Patient Index (MPI)

The Master Patient Index is an important part of any hospital management system. It aims to connect patient records from many databases. Typically used in hospitals and large clinics to enter data about patients. Once saved, it can be used for future reference by institutions sharing the database.

The MPI indexes all medical records related to a particular patient and makes them easily accessible to all departments. The main purpose of the MPI is to reduce the duplication of patient records. Also to avoid information inaccuracies that lead to incorrect treatment.

6) Patient Portal

Another important type of hospital management system is the patient portal. Patient Portal provides a platform for patients to access health-related data using any device. Contains all information stored in the EHR. These include patient history, treatments, and other previously taken medications.

Not only that, but the patient portal also allows users to schedule appointments, view bills & make payments. It can be accessed using personal devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. Some patient portals even allow patients to talk to doctors. Instead of waiting in line for hours to make an appointment, patients can now log in to check doctor availability and view lab reports.

7) Request for Emergency Medical Care

A medical emergency application is a type of HIS that tracks patients who need urgent attention. Patients can skip the waiting time and get immediate treatment. It can also provide patients with knowledge about health-related issues. They can also access informative health articles, and even track their medical status.

8) Medical Billing Software

The most important type of healthcare management system is a medical billing solution. Billing is one of the most time-consuming processes, but one of the most important. Healthcare facilities are always busy and have little time to spend on admin tasks. Billing software makes this easy by generating medical bills and handling the entire workflow. In addition to patient billing, the software also handles insurance claims and verifications. It also handles payment tracking and processing. Send notifications for late payments or unpaid hospital bills.

Various features of the Hospital Information System (HIS)

The main feature of the HIS is the management of medical administration. The HIS allows patients, hospital staff, nurses, and doctors to add all their information anytime. An efficient and advanced HIS has many great features. Below are some of the features you should pay attention to when choosing the right one for your healthcare needs:-

1) Manage Appointments

A hassle-free appointment is the first step a patient needs to be admitted to the hospital. Appointment scheduling features allow patients to book online from anywhere. It saves time and handles emergencies. Scheduling allows patients to know the availability of medical professionals. This means that patients can book instant appointments online immediately. Instead of wasting time scheduling appointments on call. It adds to your appointment scheduling process with an instant update.

2) Integrated Functions

A HIS is integrated with major functions such as inpatient, outpatient, and OR management. This includes MIS reporting, inventory management, and ward and room management. It also includes nurse and doctor assignments. Ambulance management is concerned with managing the needs of each ambulance.

Outpatient Appointment Management evenly distributes the workload among the various nurses and doctors. The benefits of appointment management are to ease patient care through follow-up, reduce wait times, and improve relations. A HIS supports the creation of a variety of appointments through call centers, telephones, walk-ins, and online.

Inpatient Management is designed to provide superior quality care to acutely ill patients at risk. HIS's inpatient management feature handles bed assignments and availability, discharges, and transfers. The system records all staff involved in the patient's care. It provides detailed reports on the procedures provided to them. Also, other relevant matters relating to them, for easy reference at any time.

Hospital Information Systems help achieve economic efficiency and profitability through OR/Care management features. This feature helps achieve shorter documentation compared to typical procedures.

3) Billing, Claims, and Insurance

This feature includes all costs such as patient enrollment, doctors’ fees, and tests performed. The family must pay the bills on time before the patient is discharged. This is where he comes into play, playing an important role. It helps speed up the process and stop errors. HIS software allows staff to enter insurance discounts, service prices, and other surcharges.

This is compared to the patient's respective treatment or service. With the help of the code, costs are entered and an automatic billing process is also enabled. When it comes to insurance claims, a HIS makes the process faster and easier. Use unique claim codes for various steps to ensure the process runs correctly. HIS handles the entire insurance claims process. This includes automatic insurance detection, state-wise tax calculations, etc.

4) Lab Integration

Laboratory Integration in HIS deals with sample collection, machine interface, and more. The Lab Integration feature helps to transfer and record information about the tests performed. It handles custom reports, credit processing, analytics, and order management. Also, it provides intelligent notifications, detailed MIS reports, and apps. Upload reports, record reports, manage hospital blood banks and generate reports.

5) Pharmacy Integration

The Pharmacy Integration feature of HIS all drug-related activities. These include integrated tax calculation, automatic expiration alerts, barcodes, and more. HMS' pharmacy management feature helps you manage different pharmacies.

The pharmacy integration feature handles prescription consolidation, inventory management, smart reporting, and instant inventory. You can use this feature to manage your entire pharmacy. It can also be integrated with centralized billing. As soon as the patient picks up the medicine from the pharma, the charges are automatically transferred to the patient's bill.

6) Other Specialized Features

The Hospital Information System has centralized reporting tools such as PACS, X-Ray, Ultrasound, and CT Scan. It is also compatible with a variety of other imaging technologies to deliver flawless results. Only authorized persons are authenticated to review reports. Digital imaging involves simple procedures in the form of organ diagnosis.

Reports from radiology, dentistry, oncology, IVF ART, and cardiology are easily understood. Using their patient code or family ID, patients can log into the feature and check the status of their reports. From booking a diagnostic appointment to reviewing results, this feature makes the whole process more accessible.

Importance of a Hospital Information System (HIS)

An efficient, cost-effective, and reliable system is needed in a hospital. It is considered to be any healthcare or hospital`s backbone. Some of the important points related to the HIS are as below:-

● Better revenue management

● Improved clinical decision making

● Technically advanced hospital systems

● Elimination of errors and excellent detail monitoring

● Great reputation and reviews

● An affordable option for any hospital.

● Reduced dependency on staff and there is no possibility of error.

● Improved data security

● Improved work efficiency and patient care.

Advantages of Hospital Information System (HIS)

1. Improved Patient Safety

The HIS not only can store and display patient information but also synthesize it. For example, safety checks can be programmed to warn medical staff of side effects before a particular drug is prescribed. The ability to store all patient information in one place, including test results, and images. Also helps prevent costly mistakes that occur when all relevant information is not available at the time of decision-making.

2. Efficient Care Coordination

The HIS enables multiple medical professionals involved in patient care to record, distribute and share updates. They can also store protocols and findings. This information-sharing facility improves patient satisfaction. It also helps coordinate care and case management to create a more seamless experience for both caregivers and patients.

3. Improved Performance Analytics

The HIS has the potential to open up a variety of ways in which staff performance, patient care, and stability can be tracked. It can calculate staffing decisions based on individual skills. You can also make proactive treatment decisions based on historical performance data. Patients can provide anonymous feedback on their level of care. Administrators can get better feedback on staff qualifications and suitability.

Improved Accessibility of Patient Information

The HIS provides seamless and immediate access to patient records to all medical professionals. It enables doctors to access relevant information and provide better treatment information. But they provide better access not only to doctors but also to patients. Digital versions of patient records can be accessed anywhere, anytime. It allows patients to be more involved in treatment planning and better informed about their condition and care.

Reduced Operating Costs

The system enables healthcare facilities to divide resources more strategically. This results in significant savings in money, energy, time, and consumables. An example of this is using comprehensive data on the specific needs of hospitalized patients. Further, combine it with info on individual staff skills and availability. Inventory, refrigerator contents, equipment rentals, and more can be tracked with HIS.

Disadvantages of Hospital Information System (HIS)

Let’s go through some of the drawbacks of deploying a Hospital Information System (HIS) in your company:-

1) Lack of data security

One of the biggest drawbacks of a hospital information system relates to the general security of data. Storing sensitive data online without proper protection can lead to serious security issues. It is, therefore, considered a disadvantage.

2) Breach of data

Another major problem associated with the HIS in the healthcare industry is data breaches. It is known to be an advanced problem in today’s world.

3) Loss of employment

Advanced software's cut the need for performing manual work. Job opportunities tend to decline as systems become more automated.

Wrapping Up

As technology continues to advance, a HIS must be flexible enough to accommodate growth. Additionally, HIS must store data correctly and securely. It should provide reliable use, provide quick and easy access to data. Unauthorized access to data should be strictly eliminated with the help of HIS. Check out SWIL today to make use of our robust healthcare software!