Pediatric EHR: key features,
benefits, and leading platforms

Pediatric EHR: key features, benefits, and leading platforms

July 20, 2023

Pediatric EHR features

Pediatric EHRs have many features similar to general-use EHRs. These modules, however, cannot fully cover the everyday needs of a pediatric practice. This is why AHRQ and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have developed the Children’s Electronic Health Record Format, which describes the critical functionality, data elements, and other field-specific requirements for pediatric EHRs. Moreover, pediatric EHRs’ functionality can be enhanced with the help of third-party integrations.

Patient profile

Documentation management

Insurance management

Appointment management

E-prescribing

Clinical (pediatric) workflows

Medical templates

Reporting and analytics

Secure data exchange

General features

Specific features

Immunization management

Infants and toddlers can miss a vaccine dose because their immunization schedule is tight and complex, and pediatricians typically struggle to keep track of it. EHRs keep the immunization registry (records of completed immunizations, including date, vaccine type and manufacturer, adverse reactions, and other essentials) and alert pediatricians and caregivers about an upcoming vaccination deadline.

Family data

Family health history and related demographic information are extremely important for pediatricians to provide personalized child healthcare. Pediatric EHRs contain family charts to avoid duplicating information for siblings and, at the same time, have all the valuable metrics at hand. This feature also simplifies group scheduling if parents or guardians want to bring multiple children to an appointment.

Growth and development charting

As children grow fast, especially in the first years of their lives, their vital metrics should be updated and evaluated frequently. Automated pediatric growth charts and clinical calculators, supplemented by the CDS and WHO templates, streamline the process and reduce the possibility of mistakes or skipping any crucial information.

Prenatal and newborn screening data

Prenatal and newborn screening data constitute a vital basis for future diagnostics and checkups, enabling pediatricians to identify potential issues early. Pediatric EHRs provide templates to acquire, store, and analyze such data quickly, efficiently, and securely.

Special care needs management

Children with special needs have a different immunization timeline and require special accommodations, more frequent health checks, and sometimes completely unique diagnostic and treatment workflows. Pediatric EHRs supplemented with special care templates simplify the documentation process and help pediatricians focus more on patients and their needs.

Preventive care management

Prevention and “well visits” are the first frontier of child healthcare. Pediatric EHRs allow practitioners to receive reminders when patients need to schedule a health check and also enable them to automatically create health reports. They also contain multiple screening templates for early detection of special physical and mental conditions like juvenile arthritis, asthma, type 1 diabetes, epilepsy, ADHD, ASD, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, etc.

A child abuse reporting system

Pediatricians are often the first to suspect cases of abuse or neglect of minors. Specialized EHRs should enable them to create comprehensive reports that show the grounds for the abuse or neglect suspicion while complying with privacy regulations.

Easy generation of back-to-school, sports, and physical forms

Multiple educational or recreational organizations should be aware of children’s health conditions to create a safe environment for every child. Usually, pediatricians provide such data through an authorized format. Pediatric EHRs streamline the process of such form generation to free up practitioners’ time and improve communication between all organizations involved in childcare.

AAP-compliant confidentiality and security

Pediatric safety and security regulations differ from those of adult patients. Therefore, pediatric EHRs should comply with general health industry security requirements while protecting minors according to AAP rules.

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Pediatric EHR integrations

The healthcare industry is becoming increasingly digitized, so the number of software tools medical professionals use daily is growing. In order to protect patient data while maintaining efficient operations and accurate patient records, healthcare software must be interoperable. EHR often becomes the heart of a hospital ecosystem and integrates with other software based on the organization’s needs.

Pediatric EHR
Hospital management software
Revenue cycle management software
Healthcare CRM
Telehealth
Patient portal

Integrating EHR with practice management software brings together the administrative and clinical sides of a pediatric practice. It eliminates the need to duplicate information about initial and follow-up appointments, tasks for personnel, patients’ and doctors’ personal details, and care plans, which results in fewer errors and accelerated operations.

Revenue cycle management software

Connected billing and claim management software streamlines cash flows, accelerating the claim submission process and reducing the workload on professionals dealing with claim reimbursement, rejection, or validation. Also, pediatricians can get their reimbursement much easier.

Marketing and sales tools integration with pediatric EHR helps facilitate the client’s journey from a prospect to a patient. Accurate and secure data flow between such tools and EHR software is especially valuable in pediatrics, as parents or guardians purchase healthcare services, not patients.

Connecting EHR to telemedicine apps allows pediatricians providing remote patient care to have the child’s health information on hand during the session and share the meeting and treatment information with other professionals: family doctors, nurses, caregivers, and school or camp healthcare personnel.

Integrated patient engagement solutions allow parents, guardians, caregivers, and older children to manage health and medical records, notify their doctor about condition changes, or get educational resources. Coupled with other integrations, patient portals enable users to receive online consultations with their pediatrician or schedule an appointment.

Top pediatric EHR solutions

Most seasoned vendors offer on-premise or cloud-based EHR systems geared toward pediatric organizations. However, many of them are just general-use EHRs with a couple of add-ons. Therefore, we recommend choosing a solution that was developed as a pediatric one at its core.

Arguably the largest EHR vendor, Epic offers a cloud-based solution with all the essential functionality of a standard system and various add-on modules relevant to pediatricians. The company has recently cooperated with PediNotes to enhance its functionality with pediatric practice management, neonatal/infant-focused features, data analytic capabilities, and pediatrics-specific information. This software is most suitable for large and medium practices, while smaller pediatric care providers might turn to cheaper systems with less advanced functionality.

Image title: Epic EHR
Data source: emrfinder.com — Epic EMR Software, 2022

Epic EHR

Athenahealth EHR for pediatric settings is available for both on-premise and cloud deployment. It is connected to the patient portal with flexible authorization, supports pediatric workflows and field-specific administrative tasks, can be flawlessly integrated with numerous third-party apps, and has a built-in medical billing feature. Moreover, essential data can be accessed from any device running on popular OSs: Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS. In 2020, athenahealth software was rated first among non-specific EHRs in a pediatric setting on KLAS’ Pediatric Ambulatory EMR Report.

Image title: Athenahealth EHR
Data source: emrfinder.com — athenahealth EHR Software, 2022

Athenahealth EHR

NextGen positions its pediatric solution as a stand-alone product developed in close collaboration with pediatricians. In addition to core EHR modules, it has all the functions listed as essential in the Children’s Electronic Health Record Format, including weight-based drug dosing, automatic growth charts, vaccination management, and history of present illness (HPI) templates. Additionally, the system is easily integrated with other NextGen and third-party apps.

Image title: NetGen EHR
Data source: emrfinder.com — NextGen EHR Software, 2022

NetGen EHR

Office Practicum’s engineers are experts in pediatric software and offer both on-premise and cloud-based solutions for small and medium-sized practices. Their EHR solution is compatible with popular OSs and has a mobile app version. In addition to multiple essential and specialized functions, OP’s EHR system has a unique VacLogic module that follows ACIP guidelines and supports the entire immunization process, including vaccine order management, can generate electronic camp and school forms in one click, and includes continuously updated pediatric materials (research, studies, measurement standards, and charts).

Image title: Office Practicum
Data source: emrfinder.com — Office Practicum EMR/EHR Software, 2022

Office Practicum

Custom EHRs

However, even the best out-of-the-box solutions don’t always meet all pediatricians’ needs. On the one hand, the providers of pediatric surgery, neurology, mental health, and other specialized medical services have considerably different workflows and therefore EHR requirements. On the other hand, general practitioners, especially solo ones, might be overwhelmed by the rich functionality platform EHRs provide. In contrast, a fully custom solution, developed solely for your needs and requirements, will include all the necessary practice-specific modules, have properly established workflows, and be integrated with the relevant third-party systems.

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How to choose pediatric EHR software

When choosing EHR, pediatric providers face multiple options, which can be very confusing, especially for professionals who have never used EHR before. We recommend using the guide below as a starting point to learn what exactly you are looking for in your pediatric EHR software.

Clinical and administrative requirements
Outline your practice’s main workflows and decide which points to improve with the help of EHR. Furthermore, you can draft a list of requirements for the system and start looking for corresponding features in the software currently on the market.
Security and backup options
Check if the system you are considering complies with industry regulations. Pediatric EHRs must be HIPAA-compliant and have data encryption and other advanced security mechanisms to protect your patients’ data. You should also consider the desired backup model and check if your EHR supports it.
Scalability and mobility
Your practice will grow over the years, new technologies will emerge, and you may need to add more features and integrate additional software with your EHR. Therefore, choose a system that is easy to integrate with third-party software and can be expanded or upgraded with additional modules.
Implementation cost
Discuss the implementation budget, including the hidden costs, with your tech partner. Besides, you can allocate part of the implementation budget for hardware, software, or network upgrades, personnel training, EHR integration with other tools, and user support and training.
Ease of use
Keep your personnel informed about the future EHR. Take into account their opinions on the desired functionality and interface. If you’re looking for your first EHR, choose a vendor with comprehensive training materials and good customer support.

Pediatric EHR implementation roadmap

Our experts will implement a pediatric EMR or EHR system for an organization of any size. We offer consultation, development, data migration, system modernization, and support services.

1

Pre-implementation

Our team helps pediatricians define requirements for their future system and choose the relevant tech stack.

2

Implementation

We draw out the project’s milestones, determine a realistic timeline, and develop a solution compliant with industry standards.

We integrate the pediatric EHR solution with other relevant healthcare software or develop complementary mHealth apps.

Throughout the entire implementation process, our experts conduct quality assurance and test runs.

We implement the pediatric EHR into the organization’s IT ecosystem and migrate relevant data.

3

Post-implementation

Our support team monitors software performance, delivers improvements and updates, and solves any issues that come up during the system’s usage. We also provide user training whenever needed.

Pediatric EHR benefits

While most pediatricians still implement general-practice EHR systems, specialized software can boost their performance and help cut the time doctors spend on administrative tasks, according to the 2021 research conducted by Stanford University’s School of Medicine. Moreover, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality cites another study that suggests EHRs lacking pediatrics-specific functionality could threaten patient safety. So how can pediatric EHRs help healthcare professionals with the challenges they face in children’s healthcare?

Increased revenue

When pediatricians have to fill out dozens of medical histories daily, their precious time is wasted on this routine job. Pediatrics EMR/EHR solutions help use personnel’s time more efficiently and hold more consultations that bring revenue during work hours. Additionally, as EHRs are much more secure and safe than paper records, healthcare organizations save millions of dollars on potential data losses, security breaches, or lawsuits due to inaccurate diagnosis and treatment.

Improved patient outcomes

Pediatricians might overlook some potential health problems if they don’t have a clear view of children’s physical and psychological growth and development dynamics. Pediatricians can put data in EMR during every visit, and the child's caregiver can do so as well via the patient portal. Then, doctors can access a comprehensive development chart whenever needed.

Simplified data exchange between institutions

Children can visit doctors outside their primary healthcare practice: school, daycare, etc., and the information about these visits often gets lost and doesn’t reach their primary pediatrician. The Children’s Electronic Health Record Format defines the unified data format for pediatric EHRs that ensures interoperability with other record-keeping systems used in childcare so that data can be transferred securely and without losses.

Quick and safe child abuse reporting

Pediatricians must report any suspected child abuse to child care services, but they typically lack a confidential and centralized reporting system. With pediatric EHR in place, a practitioner can file an abuse suspicion report and not worry about data leakage. All patient information, including data about the child, their guardians or parents, and any medical data, is protected during storage, transfer, and disposal.

Safer and more efficient medication management

Medication dosage for young children is easily miscalculated due to a number of factors. For example, allergy tests are conducted before the treatment, but these appointments might get lost or overlooked. Pediatric EHRs are equipped with additional medication information and built-in dosage standards appropriate for children. Allergy test results can also be uploaded to the database, alerting pediatricians if they prescribe a drug that has caused adverse effects or showed up on an allergy test.

Pediatric EHR security

Children’s health data is highly sensitive, and a pediatric practice can face significant penalties in case it gets compromised. Luckily, several techniques can safeguard data stored in a pediatric EHR.

Compliance with ONC – Authorized testing and Certification Body

Two-factor authentication

Personnel security training

Security system upgrades

Regular security audits

API-shielding for integrated apps

Compliance with HIPAA, HITECH, and CDC recommendations

Data encryption

EHR security

Common issues with pediatric EHRs

The challenges shouldn’t discourage pediatricians from adopting the system, as the advantages prevail. Besides, the healthcare IT industry advances very fast, and both vendors and care providers take an active part in improving pediatric EHR usability, interoperability, and security.

EHR software can sometimes contribute to pediatricians’ stress and burnout. Despite spending less time during and after clinical hours getting digital documentation in order, pediatricians still report information overload, and click and alert fatigue after using EHRs.

Documentation burden

EHR software can sometimes contribute to pediatricians’ stress and burnout. Despite spending less time during and after clinical hours getting digital documentation in order, pediatricians still report information overload, and click and alert fatigue after using EHRs.

Documentation burden

Pediatric practice management should carefully choose and implement software solutions that contain only the vital functionality to avoid overburdening users with unnecessary tabs or fields to fill in. The interface should be user-friendly, simple, and intuitive to reduce the mental pressure on clinicians – the primary users of the software. Sufficient training also contributes to personnel satisfaction and prevents burnout as users learn how to use their EHR efficiently.

The American Academy of Pediatrics issued some documentation that includes requirements for pediatric EHRs but hasn’t provided a comprehensive technical report or policy statement that covers all areas of EHR software application.

Lack of unified AAP regulations

The American Academy of Pediatrics issued some documentation that includes requirements for pediatric EHRs but hasn’t provided a comprehensive technical report or policy statement that covers all areas of EHR software application.

Lack of unified AAP regulations

Software providers, ONC, CMS, and healthcare organizations should work together to create unified regulations so that certified EHRs for pediatricians adhere to uniform rules and standards. Comprehensive documentation would benefit pediatric EHRs’ security and the efficiency of all child healthcare organizations.

Though there's been significant progress in healthcare interoperability in recent years, pediatricians who use legacy software struggle to connect it to their EHR.

Poor interoperability

Though there's been significant progress in healthcare interoperability in recent years, pediatricians who use legacy software struggle to connect it to their EHR.

Poor interoperability

Providers should consider updating their pediatrics EMR and EHR software in favor of solutions that ensure interoperability or invest in integration services to create a seamless data flow between different software solutions in a particular healthcare ecosystem.

Elevate the level of care with pediatric EHR

Elevate the level of care with pediatric EHR

Each medical specialty faces unique challenges and tasks, and general-use electronic health record solutions can’t always meet them. There are many EHRs to choose from that can enhance healthcare delivery and reduce the administrative workload for pediatric clinicians. Before implementing a pediatric EHR solution, determine the functionality and data security features your hospital needs. Afterward, follow the best implementation practices to reap the most benefits from your system. Implementing EHR in pediatrics is a challenging task and requires experts' insights. Itransition is ready to help, offering professional EHR consulting and development services.

Elevate the level of care with pediatric EHR

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FAQ

What is the difference between a general-use and a pediatric EHR?

The major differences include enhanced interoperability with record-keeping systems for educational and recreational organizations, role-based access for a child's family members, and a wide set of field-specific functions (immunization schedules, newborn screenings, growth charts, etc.). The functional composition and data format for this type of EHR is regulated by the Children’s Electronic Health Record Format.

Do all pediatricians using EHRs qualify for Meaningful Use?

Meaningful Use eligibility depends on the practitioners’ workflows supported by the EHR. Besides reporting through their respective states, pediatricians should have at least 20% of Medicaid appointments. There are other nuances of reaching different stages of Meaningful Use for pediatric practices, so it's best to consult an expert while choosing a system.

How much does the pediatric EMR or EHR cost?

Software pricing depends on multiple factors, including deployment mode, organization size, features, and integration complexity. Discuss the EHR costs with different vendors after you have determined your organization’s requirements for such a solution.

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