With the 2014 deadline for meaningful use stage 2 fast approaching, we know that chiropractors, particularly those with smaller practices, may be finding themselves short on both the time and resources needed to implement the proper chiropractor EHR software.

Some may even wonder what the necessity for EHR even is in the first place. After all, if you've been running your own practice for years now without any kind of chiropractic EHR, what's the urgency in making this transition? For one thing, it could better help you identify your clients' ailments and avoid potentially dangerous misdiagnoses.

Healthcare IT News reports that a staggering 10 to 15 percent of diagnoses are incorrect and yield what could ultimately be very expensive errors. A study from BMJ Quality and Safety shows that, over the past 25 years, over 100,000 medical malpractice cases have stemmed from wrong diagnoses, yielding an average claim of approximately $387,000. Another study in the same journal revealed that misdiagnoses amount to between 40,000 and 80,000 hospital deaths every year. 

EHR software can help reverse this trend. A Harvard University analysis showed that, over a three-year period, the use of the EHR program UpToDate lowered mortality rates and shortened hospital stays by up to 370,000 days per year. With chiropractic documentation software, clinicians can quickly and easily reference patients' medical histories to avoid making potentially costly and harmful misdiagnoses.

While some of these examples may be more extreme than what your average chiropractor will face, the fact remains that using chiropractic software programs to manage your practice's EHR can go a long way in both serving your client with a correct diagnosis and averting a potentially harmful malpractice suit.