Implementing a CPOE system was originally designed to make prescribing medical treatments and passing on medical orders to other healthcare providers easier. Over time, practitioners have indicated that even the top CPOE systems come with their challenges and risks.
Some of the top CPOE systems, such as Cerner and Athenahealth, are a terrific addition for quality patient care but do come with implementing challenges. Through efficient training and finding the right CPOE and EHR system to integrate into your software, the challenges can be reduced greatly.
The digital era is making sure there’s less room for errors when it comes to patient care and attention. But that doesn’t mean we get to become careless with our information and expect the implemented systems to pick up the slack. Continue reading below to find out the top CPOE systems for 2022 and how you can overcome any challenges and risks that come up along the way.
What is a CPOE System?
A computerized physician order entry (CPOE) is a system used by a medical practitioner to enter the details of a patient’s treatment process, including medications and lab results.
A CPOE replaces the conventional paper trail used by medical practitioners and healthcare professionals in the past with a digital version of the patient’s treatment and medical history.
The system provides a quick access way for healthcare providers to refer to the medical history and diagnosis of a patient under their care while also allowing access to other medical staff and departments responsible for the same patient.
The treatments entered into the computerized order entry are typically orders for other medical suppliers such as radiology, pharmacies, and other providers, who need to fulfill the order.
A CPOE is a patient management software much like an electronic health record (EHR) or electronic medical record (EMR) system software.
What are the Benefits of a CPOE System?
Aside from making the lives of healthcare professionals easier through communication and the elimination of orders getting lost, there are multiple benefits to a CPOE system.
The reduction in medication errors means better patient care and improved relationships between healthcare workers and patients.
Here are the benefits of computerized physician order entry systems:
- Reduced medication errors
- Efficiency and time conscious administration where orders are concerned
- Reduced costs on care and better reimbursement rates
- Prevention of errors caused by illegible handwriting
- Improved communication between healthcare providers
- Cohesive patient history and treatment specification
- Reduction or elimination in lost orders
The benefits far outweigh the challenges once the system is set up and running smoothly especially where it concerns patient safety.
What are the Challenges and Risks of a CPOE System?
While CPOE systems have many benefits, they also come with some disadvantages and challenges.
Implementing and learning how to use the system is the first challenge, along with selecting the right one for your practice.
If your clinic already uses an electronic health record system, you’ll need to find a CPOE platform that can support the integration of these two systems.
Here are some other challenges that you might face while employing a CPOE system:
Staff knowledge and training
To use a CPOE staff will need to have some basic knowledge of computers and how to navigate simple and complex systems depending on the system chosen for your business.
If staff have limited experience with computer technology there are more user-friendly options to choose from but as mentioned earlier, not all systems can integrate with the EHR already in place.
Time management and setbacks throughout the training process
Training takes time and you should select a staff member to be the “face” of the training implementation. Choosing a staff member that picks up new systems fast and can be patient with other staff members through the learning process will help to avoid setbacks. Training impacts productivity and customer service.
While the training is underway, it’s only natural that you will see productivity levels deplete slightly. Multitasking can attribute to burnout so it’s a good idea to let staff know they have your support throughout the training process.
Keeping customer service in mind and using shift swapping techniques or allowing extra staff on duty to pick up the productivity and client support can help to reduce any negative training impacts on the business.
Integrating CPOE with EHR
Not all CPOE and EHR systems will integrate successfully. To avoid any coordination issues with streamlining these platforms you should speak to an IT expert to ensure you select a CPOE system that can be successfully integrated with the EHR system you have. This will easily enable doctors, pharmacists, and other healthcare professions easy access to patient care.
What Are the Top CPOE Systems 2022?
With both web-based and cloud-based systems available, CPOE also comes as a standalone or integrated system for hospitals, clinics, and all healthcare facilities where CPOE can be used effectively to enter and provide medical subscriptions in an inpatient situation.
Here are some of the best CPOE systems available:
Athenahealth Inc
As well as Athenahealth Inc being a highly recommended company to work for, with 88% of employees recommending the company, Athenahealth is one of the leading integrated CPOE and EHR systems.
Reviews show that Athenahealth is forward-thinking in their approach to clinical care systems, and they have a simple user-friendly design that makes the system easy for non-tech-savvy employees to pick up without insurmountable hours of training. Athenahealth Inc also has remote access availability through the use of a clinical care mobile app which is handy for doctors on the go.
Allscripts Healthcare Solutions
Another leader in the CPOE platform software is Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, a company that aims to improve everyday care delivery across its user interface.
Incorporating billing and financial databases and accurate patient record databases while promoting a user-centered approach to their design.
One positive review states that Allscripts Healthcare Solutions are user-friendly and the scheduling system is desirable.
Cerner Corporation
Voted another great place to work by employees, Cerner Corporation is another user-friendly software for CPOE.
Boasting high-profile clients, like DoD, gives Cerner a boost to its name along with the ability to streamline Cerner with numerous other platforms.
Cerner focuses on improving patient care coordination through access to clinical information across multiple healthcare providers by providing accurate patient records and data.
The benefit of Cerner’s time-effective and accurate management system is highly sought after and reviews show that the overall experience with Cerner support is pleasant.
EPIC Systems
The quick-charting ability offered by EPIC systems is a favorite function of this CPOE system. Out of 259 reviews on Software Advice, EPIC receives a 4.35 out of 5 stars which is the highest-rated CPOE system on this review forum.
Having the ability to track patient healthcare records easily and quickly makes prescription orders easy to enter and manage and the communication between patients and healthcare providers is made simpler.
Some might say EPIC is far ahead of the competition because of its versatility, ease of use, value for money, and customer support access.
CliniComp International
CliniComp International prides itself on tailoring healthcare needs to healthcare clinics’ requirements in an affordable way.
This system has a decent track record and is compatible with numerous EMR and EHR platforms so integration is fairly straightforward.
CliniComp has been providing EHR and CPOE systems since 2014 as a fully-integrated time-efficient system across radiology, pharmacy, healthcare, and other laboratory clinics related to patient care and treatment.
Conclusion
Implementing a CPOE structure into your company is a great way to stay on top of patient medications and pharmaceutical orders.
CPOE systems successfully reduce medical errors by up to 55% and in turn improve patient care and well-being. Where there may be some initial challenges while implementing new CPOE software systems, in the long run, they are more beneficial for your medical practice, practitioners, and patients.
