I was invited to do a talk about the state of EMRs in the Philippines and the different types / providers / vendors that are out there in the recent PSEDM event.
Over the past years, I’ve dealt with a lot of different EMR systems and providers here in the Philippines. Doctors have literally shown us their setups, told us about what they use, what features are cool, what are not, etc.
We also have SeriousMD that we continuously work on day in and day out so we know a thing or 2 about creating an EMR system.
So I put up a slide deck that was pretty cool. Turned it into a PDF, so now, it’s not as cool, but oh well, it’s here below.
[slideshare id=136955701&doc=psedm-emrphilippines-190318105850]
The deck includes the various benefits of using an EMR, the myths around using it, why doctors are resistant to it and of course, the different EMR’s you can use in the Philippines.
Anyway, there are a lot of choices you can choose from so you can pick what suits your needs.
As the PSEDM event covered a lot of scientific topics, I wanted to put my own scientific names on some of these EMR types.
1. The “Not Really An EMR” System (LOL)
Filipinos are inherently resourceful. We’ve seen various types of information systems that are not really meant for keeping patient notes, but they made it work for their needs. At least that got them started on going electronic! Systems like the My Medical app, which was primarily for keeping family records, to the Notes app in the iPhone. Some use Excel or Numbers. We’ve met doctors that used those systems and got by as that’s all they needed.
2. The Personal Database “Sariling Sikap” System
Doctors like, I mean, LOVE their forms. That’s why this category exists. Doctors can make their own forms in apps like Tap Forms or Filemaker. They can customize and craft it to their own liking.
3. The Legacy Systems
These are old systems that really should be illegal by now because they’re so ugly. It’s a crime to even look at them but it works, so oh well. If it works, then it works. It’s where the country is at the moment when it comes to technology.
4. The Custom Made Systems
Some doctors have some moolah to spend and sometimes, they can get lucky with a solo developer that’s willing to listen to their requirements. These systems are created specifically for the doctor, moulded with the workflow of the physician paying for it in mind.
5. The SaaS
Call it on-demand software. You subscribe, you get access to the software. This is where SeriousMD falls under. Updates, backups etc. are done by the provider, you won’t have to do it manually. You are paying for the service and convenience.
I wanted to keep this post short as to not overwhelm doctors that are still new to the EMR world. If you have questions about EMR’s, all EMR systems should be classifiable under those categories. Some will have their own gimmicks to use as marketing tools but they will still fall under one of those above.
You can check out the slide deck for the Pros and Cons of each.
If you have specific questions about EMR’s, just drop me a DM or drop me a message here.
If you want to sign up for SeriousMD, it’s free to get started.
