Aravind Kejriwal recently directed the health officials in Delhi to develop a hospital management system of global standards. While hospital management systems have been in use for a while, there are currently no rules or regulations that lay down the standards for them in India. In the US electronic health records are regulated by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA Act).

In India, even though only the IT Act of 2000 applies for electronic health records, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have recognized the need for electronic health records and periodically issues standards for them, for the purpose of promoting interoperability, technical innovation, participation by vendors and other stakeholders, and to support the evolution and timely maintenance of adopted standards.

Besides these guidelines, some other key features also play a key role in making a hospital management system best suited for the Indian healthcare sector. Let’s see what the specific requirements for a hospital management system in India are.

Aadhar as an identifying document.

According to the recommendations by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the electronic health record of a patient must have the provision to include the UIDAI Aadhar number as the preferred identifier. In case Aadhar information is unavailable, the ministry recommends the use of a local identifier (as per the scheme of the healthcare service provider) and a photo ID issued by the Central or State government. The system should have a provision to accept a minimum of two IDs when an Aadhar ID is not available. In the case of unidentified patients, a local identifier may be used and confirmed identifiers inserted later when available. The government recently opened doors for integrating Aadhar with any software, but the software needs to meet certain criteria. While the recommendations are not implemented on a mandatory basis, it may become so in the future and therefore it is better to get software that follows them.

Support for GST

The Government of India recently passed the Goods and Services Act(GST) and many healthcare services come under its ambit. One of the important and commonly used aspects of hospital management software is billing. There is software that carries out the sole purpose of billing, while most hospital database management systems come integrated with it. With the implementation of GST, along with other service providers, healthcare providers such as hospitals and clinics are required to comply with the norms of GST. So it is important that hospital management software is able to handle the billing according to GST norms, and integrated with GST filing software.

NABH accreditation

Formed in 2005, the National Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers is part of the Quality Council of India and is the principal accreditation for hospitals in India. NABH accreditation is becoming more and more important with the rise in medical tourism and patient awareness about their rights. Unlike ISO certification, NABH accreditation is specific to the healthcare industry and focuses on competency in terms of staff, equipment, premises, etc. For NABH accreditation of a hospital, the information management system of the hospital should meet the necessary criteria. This includes that the records of every patient are complete and accurate. It is necessary that the policy measures are in place to ensure data integrity, confidentiality and security. A hospital management system plays a crucial role in this. An HMS that can safely manage the patient data in a safe and secure manner, and keep it updated in a timely manner can make this process much easier. The HMS must assure data redundancy and integrity and should be secure against data loss or theft, for the hospital to easily achieve NABH accreditation. The HMS system must be capable of generating the data points that must be submitted for NABH accreditation.

Sending info to local government

Hospitals have to send certain information, such as birth rates and death rates, to the government periodically. This is required for keeping track of the population and related statistics. Sometimes during a disease outbreak, government health officials will need accurate data regarding the affected individuals to tackle the issue effectively. One of the primary functions of a hospital management system is the effective management of data. It should be capable of storing, retrieving and updating the information easily. With a system that can easily sort through the relevant data, the required data can be collected and sent to health officials easily and in a timely manner. Without an effective system, the hospital staff will have to manually go through a mountain of data, wasting time and resources.

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Hospital Management Software is a vital business tool, especially in the healthcare industry. Having a hospital that is automated with Hospital Management Software is now easy. In the midst of this technologically upgraded and model world, every hospital should make use of machines and systems to take care of every manual activity. The current technological world makes use of the people to monitor the devices and network, whereas the systems are busy helping the people in controlling various tasks.

Some of the benefits of Online Hospital Management Software include Reduced Paperwork, simple access to reference records, effectual billing of different services, enhanced hospital administrations, no record duplications, minimized documentation, rapid information across various departments, optimized bed occupancy checks, critical stock information, improve cost control, and more.

In this blog, let's check out the best five Online Hospital Management Software that every hospital can use.

1. MocDoc:

MocDoc Hospital Management Software is the best solution which is completely integrated for any type of hospital from small to multi-chain hospitals. The Hospital Management Software for OP includes Doctor Discovery, Check-In, Mobile apps, Prescriptions, Appointments, Billing, and more.

When considering the IP management role of Hospital Management Software, deals with Visual Bed Management, Discharge Summary, Insurance Management, Ward Request, Integrated IP billing, and more.

The Pharmacy benefits included in the Hospital Management Software include Stock Management, FSN Analysis, Purchase Management, Sale Bill, MIS, and more. While considering the Lab benefits in HMS, it handles Custom reports, Smart Notifications, Order Management, Email Reports, Invoice generation, and more.

Apart from this, there are many features included in the MocDoc Hospital Management Software, namely Multi-location support, micro websites, attractive and easy-to-use dashboards, Role-based access, appointment widgets, and more. MocDoc HMS has more than 3100000+ patient records, can manage about 2600000+ reports, and 5500000+ prescriptions.

2. Insta:

Insta is known for monitoring and controlling the moving pieces of the hospitals without any hindrances. It also helps in improving hospital productivity by managing all your patients, departments, and staff with ease. The software enhances the experience of patients by making use of better systems for decision-making.

Hospitals prefer Insta Hospital Management Software for effective operations, enhanced patient retention by 30%, for making better decisions, and more.

3. Attune:

The main benefits of choosing Attune Hospital Management Software is that they help in increasing revenue, simplified operations, optimizing productivity, etc. The features of Attune HMS include TPA billing, Insurance, Credit tracking, Patient referral, Radiology information system, in-patient management, Central sterile supply department tracking, MIS reports, Doctor Scheduling and appointments, E-Prescriptions, Integrations with PACS, Nursing care and ward management.

Other features include Creche Management, Patient registration, Doctor consultation, Pharmacy management system, Accident and emergency care, Operation Theater Management, In-patient diet, and kitchen tracking, IP, OP, Surgery and daycare billing, EMR and SOAP Notes, and more.

4. ITDose Infosystem:

HMS is one of the complete tools that controls every aspect of management, marketing, and administration of a hospital to enable them and the doctor software to act better. It helps with documentation as needed by internal laws, is used as a convergent platform to integrate across various setups, prevents misuse of information, makes sure about data security, offers integrity and transparency between multiple departments, and makes sure about the smooth functioning of a complicated hospital environment.

The ITDose Infosystem Hospital Management Software holds important features like allocation of duties and staff management, bed allocation and managing wards, correct billing, and accounting, multiple user accessibilities for effective all-around performance, controls doctor system availability, scheduling, controlling laboratory equipment, inventory management with a timely warning system, appointment management, and lead management, and more.

5. Suvarna HIS:

The Hospital Management Software from Suvarna is developed for people who need value-based solutions at affordable rates. The HIS software them has been designed after in-depth research and study into different aspects of hospital functionality. The products are developed to support every feature needed by a hospital and are developed with exquisite architecture, which enables a high level of flexibility and scalability for the end-user.

The features of Hospital Management Software include a Hospital module, In-Patient Services, Laboratory information system, Billing, Inventory, Gastro-Enterology, Operation Theater, Nephrology, Food, and beverages, Out-patient services, Admission transfer and discharge, Blood bank, Online scheduling, Doctors Organizer, Bio-Medical, diabetes module, Nursing, and more.

Bottom Line:

Every hospital staff member is capable and has the expertise and caliber to perform all things effectively. However, too much of dependence on the manual process will have a significant impact on productivity as well as a result of unavoidable errors. To keep your hospitals productive and competitive, you should start adapting to technologies like Hospital Management Software.

Hospital Management Sofware not only controls the treatment schedules, patient records, bills, and reports but also enables different departments like employee and administration management. It's your responsibility to choose rightfully.

For Further Details Visit MocDoc Healthcare CRM.

Top 5 Online Hospital Manageme...

Hospital Management Software is a vital business t.....

When searching for software, almost everyone looks for free ones. If you simply type in the name of any random software, you’ll probably see a google autocomplete suggestion “free download”. In some cases, it does make a lot of sense in using free software. Why pay for something when you can get it for free?

Searches for downloading free EMR software have increased with government legislation mandating their use in hospitals. Let us look into why this is a bad idea.

If you’re not paying for it, you’re the product

As a general rule, nobody ever gives you something for free. As economists would say, “If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product”. In the case of most free software, this is the case. Recently it was found that most of the free antivirus apps in the Google Play store actually did nothing. Their purpose? Probably to collect data from your device. This may not affect an average person very much, but if you’re concerned about privacy, you should probably stay away from these software. And when you’re dealing with a hospital management software, this is a key aspect. Data security is a very important aspect especially when you handle patient data. A data leak, however small has the potential to damage the reputation of your hospital.

Lack of accountability

A hospital management system has to have certain qualifications that assure you that a particular software can fit your needs. When you purchase a software, it is possible for you to verify if these software fit the criteria. But when you download a software for free, there is no way for you to be sure if these software fit the criteria. And since there is no monetary transaction between you and the software provider, it will be difficult to hold them accountable.

The lack of accountability will be an issue if the software faces any glitches. If the software crashes, customer support is not provided for the system, and you will be on your own. A software glitch in a free android app may be annoying, and will not cause any huge problems even if is not resolved. In case of a hospital, the software handles sensitive patient information and a software glitch can compromise this data, and with no tech support from the providers, it can cause a lot of problems.

Upgrades? Nope

As government regulations change, and as the technology improves, you may face the need for a better software. If you’re relying on a free software for very important tasks, such as managing your hospital, you may find yourself stuck with an old software. Free software rarely provide any upgrades for long durations. And when you want an upgrade, you may find yourself searching for a new software, and you’ll have to import the existing data into the new software which will require additional resources.

The story of the open source software

A commonly trusted free software are the open source software. Ubuntu is an example of an open source software. They are usually made by developers across the world, and their source code is available for free, and you’re free to change or modify the code as you wish. Since the source code is available for everyone, it is unlikely that the software can have malicious intents. And as long as the developers continue to improve the software, it will remain up to date with the required features. Open source software appears to offer a very good deal, and they do, in the case of most of the software. But in the case of a hospital management system, it is never a good idea to use an open source software. This is because of a combination of reasons discussed above. First of all, there are no hospital management software with the kind of community that a software like Ubuntu has. If you face any issues, you’re on your own. In the case of popular softwares, there may be forums in which users can discuss issues, and they may get resolved. But for a hospital management software, there are no such forums, and when you’re managing a hospital, you cannot afford to wait for a solution that may never come. And as we discussed, updates will be available for open source software only as long as the developers are working on the project.

What about the free trials?

If you have been looking for free HMS downloads, you may have come across many SaaS healthcare software companies offering lite or trial versions of their software for free, or maybe the complete version of their software, but for a limited time period. These software are generally secure and will be much more robust than software from other software providers. They may even offer regular updates. But remember that these trial versions are just for that. They will be severely limited in their capabilities, and you will definitely have to upgrade at some point. And the providers may not provide tech support if you’re using the free version. But they do provide an easy way to evaluate a software and if available, they serve as a demo for the complete version.

Lack of customization

Generally across hospitals, or even across departments, there is no uniform workflow. Each department head has their own workflows, and this is the reason why hospital management systems are highly customized. However such customization is not at all possible in a hospital management system, and if implemented, could affect the functioning of the hospital and may prove to be counterproductive.

To know more about hospital management software, visit MocDoc Hospital Information System.

Why you should never download ...

When searching for software, almost everyone looks.....

When compared to other industries, the healthcare sector is improving, with the help of advanced technologies like the Hospital Management System (HMS). The current medical care computerization is being hampered due to a lack of a perfect interface between computers and medical care providers.

The two main issues that are commonly faced during implementation of an HMS are as follows

1. HMS implementation begins but the users start facing issues by the end

This is generally due to the inflexibility of the HMS software, a weak administrative will, and an inexperienced team for implementation.

2. HMS implementation gets completed, but only a single part of the functionality gets implemented

This is due to non-user-friendly software or unplanned and unconfigured executions.

Pre-Implementation Assessment:

All hospital administrators who implement the HMS software in their hospitals will be apprehensive that the process may end in a partial or complete failure and measures should be taken early in order to prevent such an event from happening. The software should be well assessed before being purchased by the hospital.

Software Assessment:

Choosing the right kind of software is one of the crucial and primary steps for getting the best results.

Earlier, all HMS Software had a single development cycle starting with a single hospital being computerized by a local developer for a single hospital. However, this type of HMS development is outdated. In such cases, there is a risk of the vendor providing software that was customized for a different hospital. Implementing them may cause various issues, and it may cost more in the long run. It's better to purchase the software from a firm, that specializes in hospital management software than getting any software company to design software for your hospital.

It's better to choose software that is easy to upgrade, scalable, and not hardware intensive. Cloud-based online software is better than offline software in these aspects. The providers could also easily fix any errors or bugs in the case of online software.

Another aspect to be considered is to check if the customization of the software is done primarily through programming code or by using master tables during implementation. Hospitals may require some form of alteration to the purchased software, so as to better suit their needs, and in the case of master tables, such changes may easily be made by the hospital itself. In the case of online software, this may not matter much, as maintenance and support are provided by the software provider.

Vendor Assessment:

Only a few vendors of international or national repute can be trusted easily. A drawback with a large vendor is that they don’t always accommodate the requirements of small hospitals. In the case of small vendors, the hospital administrators may have to do thorough research to see if they are trustworthy.

An important aspect to be known is whether the current implementation team will be available during the entire implementation cycle. Checking the attrition rate of the software company, and discussions with other hospital administrators may give you an idea about this.

Visits to Hospitals with Hospital Management Systems:

A well-planned visit to hospitals where the software has been implemented will give you insights on the performance of the software, the support provided by the vendor, and if the vendor has achieved all the goals that were initially planned. To get a good picture, it's better to visit hospitals like your own, in terms of capacity, number of specialties, and number of departments, as well as hospitals that have implemented the software that you are considering. This will give you an idea, not only about the trustworthiness of the vendor but also about how well the software will be suited to your hospital.

Discussions with hospital administrators who have previously implemented the software in their hospitals will also give you good insights on the possible difficulties you may face during the implementation process, and on how to overcome them.

Getting your Hospital ready:

Problems may arise in HMS implementation, due to issues within the hospital. The lack of a systematic and uniform workflow within all the departments in the hospital may make the implementation process difficult. Information regarding the various equipment used, tests performed, schedules of doctors in different departments, etc must be readily available so that it can easily be imported into the system.

An important aspect is the cooperation of the various end-users, that is, the hospital employees. They have to provide enough awareness of the usefulness and importance of implementing the HMS software. The implementation may put additional stress on the employees until they get used to the system, and this may hamper the efforts of the hospital administration.

HMS implementation begins with a pre-implementation phase, in which software is chosen and the hospital prepares for the change, followed by the implementation phase and the post-implementation phase, in which the final kinks are ironed out. The whole process could be made smooth with a thorough pre-implementation phase.

Choosing software that is well suited to your hospital, having clearly defined workflows, and complete information about the working of the hospital will help you to easily implement the HMS in your hospital. Having a good team, and ensuring the cooperation of the hospital employees would help the hospital achieve its goals with the HMS.

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A hospital management system was introduced with the cause of helping hospitals speed up their processes.

What is Hospital Management System (HMS):

The hospital management system is a computer system that helps manage the information related to healthcare and aids in the job completion of healthcare providers effectively. They manage the data related to all departments of healthcare such as,

Clinical Management
Financial Management
Laboratory Management
Inpatient Management
Outpatient Management
Operation theater Management
Materials Management
Nursing Management
Pharmaceutical Management
Radiology Management
Pathology lab etc.

HMS came into the picture of hospital management as early as 1960 and has ever since been evolving and synchronizing with the technologies while modernizing healthcare facilities. In today’s world, the management of healthcare starts from the hands of the patients through their mobile phones and facilitates the needs of the patient.

Why is a Hospital Management System (HMS) important for a hospital?

Hospital Management System (HMS) was introduced to solve the complications coming from managing all the paperwork of every patient associated with the various departments of hospitalization with confidentiality. HMS provides the ability to manage all the paperwork in one place, reducing the work of staff in arranging and analyzing the paperwork of the patients. HMS does many works like:

Maintain the medical records of the patient.
Maintain the contact details of the patient.
Keep track of the appointment dates.
Save the insurance information for later reference.
Tracking the bill payments.

The advantages of a Hospital Management System (HMS) can be pinpointed to the following:

Time-saving Technology
Improved Efficiency by avoiding human errors
Reduces scope for Error
Data security and correct data retrieval made possible
Cost-effective and easily manageable
Easy access to patient data with correct patient history
Improved patient care made possible
Easy monitoring of supplies in inventory
Reduces the work of documentation
Better Audit controls and policy compliance.

Features of Hospital Management System (HMS) Software:

Appointment Management:

For hospitals with their websites, the integration of appointment widgets allows patients to easily schedule appointments online. This feature enhances the user experience by providing a convenient and efficient way for visitors to the hospital's website to book their appointments with ease.

Billing Management:

A billing system is designed to work in conjunction with treatments, lab services, and radiology procedures. It sends alerts for discount authorization and captures dues automatically. With the option to bill both before and after consultations, it provides flexibility for a convenient billing experience.

Prescription Management:

Managing common prescriptions and recent prescriptions has never been easier with our prescription management system. This feature also allows healthcare professionals to display the availability of prescribed medications in the pharmacy. As an added convenience, the system enables the sending of SMS prescriptions directly to patients, ensuring they have quick and easy access to the information they need for their prescribed medications.

Discharge Summary:

To streamline the discharge summary process, we've developed user-friendly templates. It seamlessly integrates with ICD10 for accurate coding and comprehensive documentation. Additionally, there's an option to prevent the discharge summary until the inpatient bill is closed, ensuring a synchronized and efficient workflow in managing patient records.

Operation Theatre Management:

Operation Theatre Management includes an automatic notification feature that informs customers of their test results. The Lab Notification module ensures efficient communication by sending test reports via email or SMS. This automated process enhances the overall experience, providing timely and secure delivery of critical information to the concerned individuals.

Pharmacy Management System:

To handle various aspects of pharmacy operations efficiently, we developed a comprehensive Pharmacy Management System. This includes robust stock management, seamless prescription integration, handling ward requests, monitoring stock movement, and generating intelligent reports. With this system in place, pharmacies can streamline their processes, ensuring accurate stock levels, smooth prescription handling, and access to insightful reports for informed decision-making.

Laboratory Management System:

Laboratory Management System are capable of handling the entire spectrum of laboratory operations. This includes efficient order management, customized report generation, smart notifications for timely updates, credit settlement features, detailed MIS reports, analytics for data-driven insights, and a dedicated app for phlebotomists. This integrated system ensures the smooth and organized functioning of laboratory processes, providing advanced features for enhanced efficiency and accurate management of laboratory-related tasks.

Master Information Systems:

Gain convenient access to the entire Management Information System (MIS) data right from the palm of your hand.

Manage Multiple Locations:

Simplify your operational oversight by effortlessly adding and managing numerous branches, all through the convenience of a single account. This streamlined approach allows for efficient monitoring and control over multiple locations, promoting ease of administration and ensuring a cohesive management experience across your entire network.

Benefits of Hospital Management System (HMS) Software:

We have so far clarified the importance of the Hospital Management System (HMS), it is your responsibility to pick out the right kind of HMS for your needs and purposes. Here we give more information on the benefits of various Hospital Management Systems and the impact they create on hospital systems.

Easy Patient data retrieval:

HMS makes it possible to access all the data related to a patient via a system using a few simple clicks. Information like patient history, current illness, doctors involved, test reports taken, billing information, and many more can be made visible to the user. These data will help to connect the dots about the patient, like specific diagnosis, related treatment, and medication.

The Electronic Medical Record (EMR) or Electronic Health Record (EHR):

This electronic medical record system can be viewed as a patient’s health chart. It retrieves information based on the patient’s name medical record number or the physician’s record number.

Increased Data security:

The patient data can be kept a hundred percent safe by using HMS in your hospital. It can be made accessible by only a limited amount of authorized personnel. With HMS, all the data is stored on a server or cloud and kept safe by just securing the login information.

Improve Visibility and Transparency:

Hospital Management System (HMS) improves visibility and transparency in the complete management process and all records.

Streamline Accurate Reporting:

It helps streamline accurate reporting with the help of updated and accurate records.

Improved Quality Control:

The Hospital Management System improves the quality control of the products and services of the hospital.

Improved Management Visibility:

It also improves the management visibility of the hospital, all information, and data regarding the patient, doctor, and medicine can be seen by any department easily.

Ease to Access System Facilities:

The Hospital Management System makes it easy to get access to the management system facilities for authorized users and keeps it safe from unauthorized users.

Cost Effective:

HMS not only saves time in the hospital but also is cost-effective in decreasing the number of people working on the system of manual entry of data and paperwork. The implementation of His will decrease the human intervention in the system thereby avoiding human-caused errors.

Every hospital has different needs, analyze what is best for your requirements and install the appropriate HMS system.

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