We discuss the benefits of chiropractic EHR from a practitioner's standpoint extensively on this blog, citing the boon that effective and intuitive software can provide for day-to-day workflow and data security. However, as with every aspect of medical care, it is vital never to lose sight of the role of patients in this technological transition, and how the best chiropractic EHR software should ultimately enhance the quality of care these individuals receive.

Recently, patient advocate and author Robert Green addressed this topic in an opinion piece for EHR Intelligence, a news outlet devoted to all things health IT. Green noted that the question of interoperability, which has been widely covered at industry conferences and Congressional hearings, should also be discussed in the context of individual patients.

"For the independent physician, this interoperability is really part of a much larger dialogue about the continuity of the clinic as a business in this new era of highly integrated and accountable care. While it may seem like another vendor relationship conversation for the clinic advocate, it's really about the value proposition for the patients in the community [...] going forward," writes Green.

He notes that there are three key aspects that should be considered in every discussion of interoperability and patient care: improving retention, streamlining care pathways and using EHR as a tool to enable better treatment. Rather than fixating on how EHR can cut costs and ramp up clinical efficiency, Green calls for physicians to view this shift more holistically and ultimately envision how the culture of care has a whole can and should be transformed in the years to come, and what role chiropractic management software may play in this new paradigm.