Show Notes

As therapists, we often hear the terms EMR, which stands for electronic medical record, EHR, which stands for electronic health record, or practice management software to describe the clinical software that therapists use to write and store client case notes. These terms are almost used synonymously to one another. However, all three have slightly different functions.

In this episode, I’ll discuss the differences between an EMR, an EHR, and a practice management software, so that you can choose what’s best for you and your practice.

So, first of all, let’s define each type of software.

EMR

An EMR or otherwise known as electronic medical record is a software that its main purpose and function is to store medical records such as client intakes, assessments, and case note documentation. EMRs typically stop there and do not usually provide any additional tools beyond storing client medical records. It’s essentially a cyber version of a locked cabinet.

Although EMRs and EHRs are very similar in nature, and the terms are often used interchangeably, there are some slight differences.

EHR

So, an EHR, also known as Electronic Health Record, also stores client’s medical records, but there is a small distinction between the two. According to an article on the National Coordinator for Health Information Technologies website, EMRs are meant to only store medical records such as diagnosis and treatment, whereas an EHR provides the ability to incorporate care providers outside of the traditional medical model, but still within the client’s care team. Such as care providers supporting the social, emotional, and spiritual health of the client.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology also reports that EHRs are designed for providing coordinated care where other clinicians from various professions can be authorized to access the client’s file. So EHRs goes beyond just being a virtual cabinet for medical documentation, but instead provides a way for other clinicians who are authorized to do so to access the client’s intakes, assessments, case notes, and treatment plan from other professionals.

To me, this sounds similar to the health care system here in Alberta. Although I’ve never worked for Alberta Health Services, but as a patient myself, I know they use a software called NetCare, which is an EHR. It provides province wide access to client records where health information, medical or otherwise, is stored and shared with other professionals across the province. So a doctor can easily access lab results from a third party provider or a social worker in a specific program can review the case notes of an occupational therapist in that program. So, it provides better coordinated care. Essentially, EHRs are more holistic than EMRs.

Practice Management Software

Finally, a practice management software is everything both EMRs and EHRs are, plus more. A good practice management software will be an all-in-one software that does exactly what it says, helps you manage your practice from storing client charts, to managing your schedule, to processing your payments, and more.

A good practice management software should have the ability to provide coordinated care by other professionals within your clinic or practice so that other members of the client’s care team can access the client’s chart with, of course, the client’s consent. It should also make charting easy by having templates for intakes, assessments, and case notes, so that the clinician doesn’t have to spend extra dollars beyond the cost of the platform, of course, to purchase or make templates for efficient charting. So essentially, a practice management software should be a practice’s virtual assistant.

Tiers of Features

So, if we think of charting software through a tiered approach based on its features and capabilities, EMRs are at the bottom tier just a place to store client’s medical documentation. It’s essentially a virtual cabinet and nothing more.

EHRs are the middle tier, providing a more holistic and coordinated approach to client documentation, allowing multiple healthcare professionals access and contribute to the client’s care plan and treatment.

With practice management software being the top tier, a practice management software does everything you need to manage your practice such as charting, scheduling, payment processing, and billing, reporting, capability to add other professionals for coordinated care within the practice, to just name a few of its features. So, a practice management software is the gold standard of charting systems.

Considerations

When choosing a software that works for you, it’s important to ask yourself what features or capabilities do you need in your practice and what’s your budget to put towards software? So if you’re simply looking for a virtual cabinet to store medical records and you’re not interested in the other bells and whistles an EMR may work for your practice.

Also, when you buy a software with less features and capabilities, you’re usually paying less per month on fees. However, depending on the software, it may not always be true. So it’s important to do a cost analysis of the different software out there to make sure that you’re getting your best bang for your buck.

One really important consideration is to ensure that regardless if you choose an EMR, an EHR, or a practice management software, that it is compliant with privacy legislation in your country. For example, if you’re a Canadian practitioner and a software says it’s HIPAA compliant, which is the U. S. privacy legislation, that doesn’t mean that it’s PIPEDA compliant, which is a Canadian privacy legislation. So when choosing a software, ensure that it’s compliant with your country’s privacy legislation.

Not only that, just to make it a little bit more complicated, certain provinces in Canada have their own provincial privacy legislation as well. So for example, here in Alberta, there’s the Health Information Act and in Ontario, there’s a Personal Health Information Protection Act. So, it’s also important to know if your EMR, EHR or practice management software is also compliant with applicable provincial privacy legislations.

Selecting a Software

When it comes to selecting a practice software that’s privacy compliant, there’s a few things to ensure to help protect yourself.

First, learn about the software you intend to use, and determine if it’s PIPEDA compliant, if you’re Canadian, or HIPAA compliant, if you’re American. Usually, practice software will have an information guide or a help page on their website giving details about privacy compliance. If you can’t find the privacy information or it’s only compliant with another country’s privacy legislation, then it’s safer to assume that it’s not compliant. There are many American-based EMRs, EHRs, or practice management software that state they are HIPAA compliant, but say nothing about being PIPEDA compliant, which usually means it isn’t PIPEDA compliant.

Secondly, if you’re a Canadian practitioner and a software reports being available for Canadian practitioners, it’s important to ensure that you learn where they store their data. Do they store it in Canada, in the US or somewhere else? An important thing to know in order to be PIPEDA compliant is that the software must have a server in Canada so that data is stored on Canadian soil. If a software only says it’s HIPAA compliant, then there’s a high probability that the server is in the U. S. only and not PIPEDA compliant.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen U. S. based EMRs, EHRs, and practice management software companies advertise towards Canadian therapists, even though they don’t claim to be PIPEDA compliant, only HIPAA compliant. But because the advertisements are in Canada, therapists believing that they’re privacy compliant. Because such software have their server base in the US, the software is automatically non-compliant with PIPEDA, again, unless they have a secondary one in Canada. So, it’s important to not just accept advertising claims to Canadian practitioners as claims of privacy compliant for PIPEDA. Because anyone can market to you, but it’s up to you to ensure whichever software you use is protecting your client’s data in accordance with Canadian and provincial privacy legislation.

Finally, search for reviews from outside sources about their experience working with a particular practice management software. There are many people writing reviews with their experience using different types of software. This tip isn’t just about privacy, but the software overall. I believe a company’s reputation will also demonstrate how serious they are about privacy.

For instance, if an EMR, an EHR or practice management software has a great reputation for customer service, having multiple features that practitioners need and just an overall five-star reputation, you can feel more confident and secure on how they handle the privacy side, even if the reviews don’t explicitly talk about privacy. And the same can be said for the opposite. If a software has less than a reputable reputation, then you might feel less confident with how they handle privacy and potential privacy breaches.

Jane App

When I started my practice, I automatically started with a practice management software called Jane App. And honestly, I’ve never regretted my decision, and I still use it today. I’ve since become an ambassador for them because I love their services, their customer service, and their overall software. And as it is a practice management software, it has many capabilities such as scheduling and online booking, video session capability, payment processing and insurance billing, reporting, and charting with thousands of assessment and questionnaire templates. And the best of all, it is PIPEDA and HIPAA compliant. They are also GDPR compliant as well, which is the privacy legislation in the EU. I’m going to link to Jane’s privacy information in the show notes, so if you’re interested, you can check that out.

Jane’s also quite affordable as well, especially with all the features that it provides. So, if you’re interested in checking Jane out and just learning more about it. You can go to jane.app, that’s jane.app. And if you do decide to go with Jane as your practice management software, when you sign up and you use a promotional code EVASPARE1MO, you’ll receive a one-month grace period on your new Jane account. So again, that’s E-V-A-S-P-A-R-E-1-M-O.

Conclusion

So even though the terms EMRs, EHRs, and practice management software are used interchangeably, they in fact are different, even if it’s just so slightly. So when determining which is best for you, it’s best to determine your practice needs, your budget, and whether the platform is privacy compliant with your country’s privacy laws.

If you’re looking for a virtual charting system that’s just for you so that you can store client medical records, an EMR might be just fine. Whereas if you want to provide a holistic and coordinated charting approach throughout your clinic or practice, then an EHR might fit.

But if you’re looking for a virtual assistant in a software, then a practice management software is your best bet. Personally, I’m all about efficiency and automation. And if I’m going to pay for a software anyway, it might as well do everything for me. And that’s why I chose Jane App.

Thank you for tuning into today’s episode. If you like this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague. I’m hoping to reach as many therapists as possible in 2024. So, I would be so grateful if you could share the podcast with anyone that you think would find this beneficial.

Until next time, bye for now!

Credits & Disclaimers

The Designer Practice Podcast and Evaspare Inc. has an affiliate and/or sponsorship relationship for advertisements in our podcast episodes. We receive commission or monetary compensation, at no extra cost to you, when you use our promotional codes and/or check out advertisement links.

References

Garrett, P. & Seidman, J. Technology (2011, January 4). EMR vs. EHR – What is the Difference? Retrieved from https://www.healthit.gov/buzz-blog/electronic-health-and-medical-records/emr-vs-ehr-difference

Jane App. (n.d.) Online Appointments and Privacy Laws. Retrieved from https://jane.app/guide/online-appointments-and-privacy-laws