Medical Software Key Terms

Some key terms for medical software

For any business in the medical field, medical software is critical. Medical software covers all of the digital tools a medical practice may use -- from medical billing and coding software to patient accounts, scheduling, event logging, lab specimen IDs, and much more. Reading up on common terms for medical software can help a manager see some of the best choices for a specific medical office, whether that means an independent office, or one within a greater medical network or practice.

 

Electronic medical records and electronic health records

These two terms get much use in the medical field, but for some, they are distinct and not interchangeable. EMR technically describes the holistic system of keeping medical records in a digital format, while EHR describes the process of having a specific set of patient records easily accessible in digital format.
Try: See more from this authoritative article on EMR and EHR from AMCP.

Web based

A web based system is one that is accessible over the web. Certain quarters of the health care industry are calling for web based medical records to help protect medical info from loss.
Try: Find out more about web based medical records from Medscape. You have to register on the site first.

Hosted

A hosted medical software program can be an advantage for buyers struggling with high "box prices" for software and difficulty installing all of the programs on-site. A hosted medical software system is one that runs off a vendor's server directly, so that the seller bears the burden of functionality, maintenance and software registration.
Try: Find out more about hosted medical software and opportunities at this AllBusiness page.

Document imaging

Document imaging is the process of scanning paper documents into a digital system. Many medical software systems rely on document imaging to get initial reports, patient records, facility forms and more onto one central digital system for easy lookup.
Try: Find out more about document imaging at WiseGeek.

Case management software

Case management software is any software setup that allows for a focus on one patient record or "case" to follow data through the case file process.
Try: Find more on case management software for medical offices at CaseManagement.com.

Remote access

Going a step beyond web access, remote access means another user can operate a computer from beyond a physical location. In medical software, remote access is most useful in a large medical network where there may be more experienced users (nurses as users of nursing software, or lab technicians as users of lab software) who can use remote access to guide others at a particular site.
Try: Get definition and a description of remote access from SearchMidMarketSecurity.com.

Copyright © 2011 Business.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

---