How to choose the best Hospital Management System (HMS) 

When searching for software, almost everyone looks for free ones. If you simply type in the name of any random software, you’ll probably see a google autocomplete suggestion “free download”. In some cases, it does make a lot of sense in using free software. Why pay for something when you can get it for free? 

Searches for downloading free EMR software have increased with government legislation mandating their use in hospitals. Let us look into why this is a bad idea.

If you’re not paying for it, you’re the product

As a general rule, nobody ever gives you something for free. As economists would say, “If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product”. In the case of most free software, this is the case. Recently it was found that most of the free antivirus apps in the Google Play store actually did nothing. Their purpose? Probably to collect data from your device. This may not affect an average person very much, but if you’re concerned about privacy, you should probably stay away from these software. And when you’re dealing with a hospital management software, this is a key aspect. Data security is a very important aspect especially when you handle patient data. A data leak, however small has the potential to damage the reputation of your hospital. 

Lack of accountability

A hospital management system has to have certain qualifications that assure you that a particular software can fit your needs. When you purchase a software, it is possible for you to verify if these software fit the criteria. But when you download a software for free, there is no way for you to be sure if these software fit the criteria. And since there is no monetary transaction between you and the software provider, it will be difficult to hold them accountable. 

The lack of accountability will be an issue if the software faces any glitches. If the software crashes, customer support is not provided for the system, and you will be on your own. A software glitch in a free android app may be annoying, and will not cause any huge problems even if is not resolved. In case of a hospital, the software handles sensitive patient information and a software glitch can compromise this data, and with no tech support from the providers, it can cause a lot of problems. 

Upgrades? Nope

As government regulations change, and as the technology improves, you may face the need for a better software. If you’re relying on a free software for very important tasks, such as managing your hospital, you may find yourself stuck with an old software. Free software rarely provide any upgrades for long durations. And when you want an upgrade, you may find yourself searching for a new software, and you’ll have to import the existing data into the new software which will require additional resources. 

The story of the open source software

A commonly trusted free software are the open source software. Ubuntu is an example of an open source software. They are usually made by developers across the world, and their source code is available for free, and you’re free to change or modify the code as you wish. Since the source code is available for everyone, it is unlikely that the software can have malicious intents. And as long as the developers continue to improve the software, it will remain up to date with the required features. Open source software appears to offer a very good deal, and they do, in the case of most of the software. But in the case of a hospital management system, it is never a good idea to use an open source software. This is because of a combination of reasons discussed above. First of all, there are no hospital management software with the kind of community that a software like Ubuntu has. If you face any issues, you’re on your own. In the case of popular softwares, there may be forums in which users can discuss issues, and they may get resolved. But for a hospital management software, there are no such forums, and when you’re managing a hospital, you cannot afford to wait for a solution that may never come. And as we discussed, updates will be available for open source software only as long as the developers are working on the project.

What about the free trials?

If you have been looking for free HMS downloads, you may have come across many SaaS healthcare software companies offering lite or trial versions of their software for free, or maybe the complete version of their software, but for a limited time period. These software are generally secure and will be much more robust than software from other software providers. They may even offer regular updates. But remember that these trial versions are just for that. They will be severely limited in their capabilities, and you will definitely have to upgrade at some point. And the providers may not provide tech support if you’re using the free version. But they do provide an easy way to evaluate a software and if available, they serve as a demo for the complete version. 

Lack of customization

Generally across hospitals, or even across departments, there is no uniform workflow. Each department head has their own workflows, and this is the reason why hospital management systems are highly customized. However such customization is not at all possible in a hospital management system, and if implemented, could affect the functioning of the hospital and may prove to be counterproductive. 

To know more about hospital management software, visit MocDoc Hospital Information System.

A flexible and efficient Hospital Information Management System has a vital role in every hospital in the case of a health system. Healthcare professionals are adapting to the latest technology developments to keep their IT infrastructure high. HIS helps healthcare organizations to overcome any complicated challenges they face in the current healthcare industry. 

In this blog, let's check out what the Hospital Information System is and what other productive things your HIS should include, benefiting your hospital. 

What is a Hospital Information System?

HIS (Hospital Information System), otherwise termed a Clinical Information System, is an integrated and comprehensive information system developed to manage the financial, administrative, and clinical aspects of hospitals. Every hospital sticks with Hospital Management System software to manage their data related to hospital inventory and patient records efficiently. The hospital information system software helps in controlling the data in most healthcare departments, namely financial, inpatient, Operation Theater, nursing, radiology, clinical, laboratory, outpatient, materials, pharmaceutical, and pathology. 

Why do you need a Hospital Management System?

An efficient, cost-effective, and reliable system is needed, and they are considered to be any healthcare or hospital's backbone. One of them on the list is the hospital information system software. Let's check out the importance of the Hospital Management System below. 

●  Higher revenue management

●  Enhanced clinical decision making

●  The best way to make your hospital technically advanced

●  Enhanced data security

●  Eliminate errors and can monitor each detail instantly. 

●  Higher reputation through good quality ratings. 

●  An affordable option for every hospital. 

●  No chances of errors as HMS cut down the workforce. 

●  Increased retrieve-ability and data security

●  Enhanced efficiency and patient care.  

Hospital Information System Features:

The primary use of the Hospital Information Management System is to manage & take care of healthcare management. The Hospital information management system has brought up patients, hospital staff, nurses, and doctors to add all assets and information anywhere and anytime. The efficient and advanced hospital information management system has many great features, and below are some of them you have to look for while choosing a Hospital Information system software for your healthcare needs. 

Appointment:

For a patient to be on-boarded, hassle-free appointments are the first step they require. Appointment scheduling features help the patients book their appointments online from anywhere, which you can cut down the time and emergencies. 

Appointment Scheduling enables the patients to know the availability of radiologists, doctors, or other healthcare specialists. It means the patients can book their appointments online quickly based on the time they require to meet the doctor. This is open for both offline and online modes added with instant updates on the appointment scheduling process. 

The appointment feature enables the patient to have a family ID so that they can easily search for any appointment feature by simply selecting their family ID. There are different modes of payment support, and the amount can be paid through installment schemes. It helps to reduce redundancy. 

IP, OP, and OT all in one integrated:

Hospital Information Management System comes integrated with three critical features Inpatient, Outpatient, and Operation Theatre management. It includes MIS reports, asset management, ward and room management, nurse and doctor assigning, and more. Outpatient management deals with the management of every outpatient department's requirements. 

The outpatient appointment management makes sure that the workload is evenly distributed across different caregivers and doctors in the clinic. The benefit of appointment management is to encourage patient care through timely follow-ups, decrease unnecessary wait times, and enhance the relationship of the patient with the hospital. The hospital information management system supports various appointment creation through the call center, telephone, walk-ins, and online patient portals. The module is an innovative approach to help multiple doctors take care of their all-day outpatient management. 

Inpatient management services are to offer excellent quality care to patients who are in the vulnerable and acute stage of their ailment. The inpatient management module in the HIS takes care of module admissions, bed allocation and bed availability, discharge and transfer of patients, and more. The system records every medical doctor, physician, and other personnel involved in treating the patients, detailed reports of procedures provided to them, and other relevant things about them to remain traceable at any point in time. 

The hospital information system helps achieve economic efficiency and viability in the OT (Operating Theatre)/therapy management. The module helps to seek shorter documentation and operation when compared to the typical intervention results. MocDoc operational theatres management system helps decrease the administrative and organizational burden on every personnel like doctors, physicians, nurses, etc. in the OT.

Billing and Insurance:

The billing process involved charges like patient registration, doctor fees, tests conducted, and more. Before a patient gets discharged, the family should pay the bill in time. Here comes HIS, which plays an important role. It helps to make the process faster and error-free. The Hospital Information system software enables the staff to enter insurance discounts, service prices, and other additional charges. It is now matched with the particular treatment or service made to the patient. With the help of code, the costs are entered and also enabled the automated billing process. 

When it comes to insurance claims, the hospital information management system helps to make the process faster and easier. It makes use of unique billing codes for different procedures to ensure the process is moving in the correct way when the insurance is submitted to the respective insurance companies. HIS takes care of every process in insurance claims like insurance auto-detection, insurance templates, and tax calculation as per country, and more reliable.  

Laboratory integration:

Laboratory Integration in HIS will deal with sample collection, machine interfacing, and more. There are many apps like the phlebo app, runnr app, etc. to make the laboratory integration process more accessible. Laboratory management HMS module helps to broadcast and record the information about the performed tests. 

The lab management module in the Hospital Information System software handles custom reports, credit settlement, analytics, order management, smart notifications, detailed MIS reports, and apps. We tailor analysis and lab management solutions for your requirements that can upload reports, log reports, manage hospital blood banks, and write findings. 

The laboratory management module is integrated with the core HMS to take care of the workflow process for every patient of our hospital and record the information about the performed tests. 

Pharmacy integration:

The Hospital Information Management System Pharmacy Integration module takes care of stock management, inbuilt tax calculations, auto expiry alerts, barcodes, and more. The pharmacy management module in HMS helps to control different pharmacies. The pharmacy management module handles prescription integration, stock management, intelligent reports, stock moments, and more. A whole pharmacy can be managed through the HIS pharmacy management module. It can also be integrated with the central billing. Once the patients receive the medicines from the pharmacy, the charges will be transferred automatically to the patient's billing. 

Specialty based modules:

There are centralized reporting tools in the Hospital Information System for PACS, X-rays, Ultrasound, CT scans, and more. They are also compatible with other various imaging technologies to deliver the perfect results. Only authorized persons will be provided authentication to check the reports. Digital imaging includes a simple procedure in the form of organ diagnosis. Radiology, dental, oncology, IVF ART, and cardiology reports are easily understood by this technology. With the help of the patient code or family ID, the patient can log in to the feature and check their report status. From booking appointments for diagnosis to checking results, every process is made more accessible with this feature. 

Integrated interface and distinct user roles:

The Hospital Information system offers people privacy and data security. Implementing them will help to empower clear and smooth functionality. HIS is one of the cloud-based software, so there is no chance for breaches to occur as everything is interlinked with each other. It means the patient data is safe and can be accessed only by limited people with authentication. The data is stored on the cloud or server and, therefore, is completely secure. To know more about data privacy and security, you can check here.

About MocDoc Hospital Information System:  

Automate any processes, including financial auditing, regulatory compliance, scheduling, appointments, and billing with the MocDoc hospital management system. Enhance your healthcare service quality with our custom hospital information system software.  

MocDoc is a leading-edge, informative, and cost-effective hospital information system software that offers focused, actionable, and insightful data. We provide an all-in-one solution that can be customized and deployed for any healthcare institution or hospital, providing the right state-of-the-art services to the patients. MocDoc HMS enables seamless integration with any of your systems like LIS, PACS, EMR, RIS, CDSS, and more.

How are we unique? 

● Optimize, manage, and track personal and financial hospital resources

● No chance for duplicated patient files and data.

● Optimize different allocation of resources, namely beds, rooms, and doctors.

● Manage lab tests, and consultation of different specialties like cardiology, obstetrics, general & family physician, IVF, ENT, and more.

● Build actionable treatment plans with reminders and targets for patients, staff, and doctors to enhance adherence.

● Manage appointment time slots and timings by lab, clinic, and doctor.

● Access to your portal through our mobile apps.

As a whole, MocDoc Hospital Management System software will help you to streamline accurate reporting, enhance quality control, 24/7 customer support, budget-friendly pricing, enhanced time management, transparency, visibility, customer services, management visibility, and a single database management system. MocDoc always has its complete focus on customer satisfaction, and we consider them our priority and make sure to keep them satisfied with our services and products. 

The famous Kaiser Permanente installed the nation's significant and all-inclusive EHR (Electronic Health Record) before a decade. The decision was taken together by the medical groups and the health plans, implementing it was extortionate as well as arduous because of the larger size of the Organization.

Motivating and training staffs and physicians, many lives are saved with the combination of an integrated medical care delivery system and data analytics.

Few clinicians have the right to access the All-inclusive Electronic Health Record which indulges every medical information of the patient and also lets you know about the potential medical errors and care gaps before it go viral across the globe.

Integrating them was tedious as well as expensive, but this is the right way to maximize the care provided to the patients around. Here are a few lessons popped out below regarding the experience in the EHR for the investments as well as for other health systems.

Make the EHR All-Inclusive:

The next step in EHR is to hire individual preferences for separate specialties to get benefits with the physician acceptance. For example, every clinician made use of the document to identify the patient's problem apart from analyzing a single body diagram. Each specialty has its description; as a result, the primary care clinicians reviewed and submitted two separate set of their analysis.

When considering the EHR, they derive the entire information provided, and all patients get benefited through the information sharing across different specialties rather than going through the complete documentation. The complete EHR incorporates with the patient's totality and then communicates their entire information to all clinicians who take care of them, unlike the other office-based stand-alone systems.

If all clinicians receive the same data, they can easily find out the problems and rectify them regardless of if they work in any specialty departments.

Acquire Clinicians Onboard:

Most of the large multispecialty hospital medical groups are paid only on an annual basis, and this is one of the biggest challenges every clinician face with the EHR adoption. At present, most EHRs designed to code and bill instead of the clinical practices, this makes the clinicians slow down and also results in fewer patients care.

The experience was completely different, and the clinicians received data from the EHR cumbersome, which helped the physicians to identify the advantages and disadvantages of the patients. They can easily have access to studies apart from searching for the best radiologic studies.

The clinicians found difficulties regarding the added time that requires to study the new system, so the plan got changed and focussed on reducing the schedule by half during the phase of implementation. By doing so, many of the physicians found many advantages which lead to exposure.

Build Trust:

Physicians need to trust their leaders for the successful operation change, and this leads the process to gain the physician trust.

Keep in mind the other Employees who use EHR system.

Medical assistants use EHR more on their work, they do not need more documentation, and they can make use of the system to check out the clinical benefits.

When a patient visits the hospital, they make use of the EHR system to look for the preventive care gaps and address them correctly. For example, if a lady was overdue for a blood cancer screening, they call the GYN/OB for scheduling an appointment, this makes them recognize the medical assistant and the contribution they made.

Offering Ongoing Technical Support 24./7

If people use new technology, they need instant help if they got any queries on using them. To perform the instant support, there is on-site and immediate technical assistance to the users, and this is the right thing to make use of the EHR system while preparing for any training classes or other live settings.

In the starting weeks of performing live in any medical center or other specific departments, clinicians who already implemented the system application successfully in any different location can act as a consulting expert and make them available to the clinician's colleagues. It also incorporated additional IT staffs so that providing consultative support for the users are done efficiently and immediately following the implementations.  

EHR implementation should be a capital program, and you invest more and also achieve the ROI (Return on Investment) at the right time. Once after the execution, the EHR system allows clinicians to treat their patients in hospitals, offices, emergency departments, and other areas faster than the past.

The comprehensiveness of the EHR data helps in facilitating the total work of data analytics, best practice evolutions and the effort put for implementing the EHR system allows patients to avoid many complications from various deadly chronic diseases.

Make sure you follow the above things if you are ready to implement Electronic Health records in your hospital.

To know more about MocDoc HMS Click Here

Hospital Management System is used to take the data from the patients and then store it for later use. The main goal of the Hospital Management System is to accurately treat as well as decrease overtime pay. 

There are various features included in the HMS. Some of the system functions include Registration, Patient checks, Report generation, and more. In this blog, let's check out the functional and non-functional requirements of the Hospital Management System in depth.

Functional Requirements: 

There are a lot of software requirements specifications included in the functional requirements of the Hospital Management System, which contains various processes, namely Registration, Check, Report Generation, and Database.

Registration Process of SRS (Software Requirements Specification) 

● Adding Patients: The Hospital Management enables the staff at the front desk to include new patients in the system.

● Assigning an ID to the patients: The HMS enables the staff at the front desk to provide a unique ID for each patient and then add them to the record sheet of the patient. The patients can utilize the ID throughout their hospital stay. 

Check Out of SRS: 

● Deleting Patient ID: The staff in the administration section of the ward can delete the patient ID from the system when the patient checks out from the hospital.

● Adding to the beds available list: The Staff in the administration section of the ward can put the bed empty in the list of beds available.

Report Generation of SRS:

● Information of the Patient: The Hospital Management System generates a report on every patient regarding various information like the patient's name, Phone number, bed number, the doctor's name whom it assigns, ward name, and more.

● Availability of the Bed: The Hospital Management system also helps in generating reports on the availability of beds regarding information like bed numbers unoccupied or occupied, ward name, and more. 

Database of SRS: 

● Mandatory Patient Information: Every patient has some necessary data like phone number, first and last name, personal health number, postal code, country, address, city, 'patient's ID number, etc.

● Updating information of the Patient: The hospital management system enables users to update the information of the patient as described in the mandatory information included.

Non Functional Requirements 

There are a lot of software requirements specifications included in the non-functional requirements of the Hospital Management System, which contains various processes, namely Security, Performance, Maintainability, and Reliability.

Security:

● Patient Identification: The system needs the patient to recognize herself or himself using the phone.

● Logon ID: Any users who make use of the system need to hold a Logon ID and password.

● Modifications: Any modifications like insert, delete, update, etc. for the database can be synchronized quickly and executed only by the ward administrator.

● Front Desk Staff Rights: The staff at the front desk can view any data in the Hospital Management system, and add new patient records to the HMS but they don't have any rights to alter any data in it.

● Administrator rights: The administrator can view as well as alter any information in the Hospital Management Software.

Performance: 

● Response Time: The system provides acknowledgment in just one second once the 'patient's information is checked.

● Capacity: The system needs to support at least 1000 people at once.

● User-Interface: The user interface acknowledges within five seconds.

● Conformity: The system needs to ensure that the guidelines of the Microsoft accessibilities are followed.

Maintainability: 

● Back-Up: The system offers efficiency for data backup.

● Errors: The system will track every mistake as well as keep a log of it. 

Reliability: 

● Availability: The system is available all the time. 

Hope you got a clear idea of the functional and non-functional requirements and the features required by the hospital. Any other queries on the topic are welcome.