Pediatric EMR Software

Pediatricians need to manage efficient patient encounters and spend less time on processes like writing refills or completing charts. At the same time, billing staff needs to ensure charges are captured accurately and in accordance with E&M documentation guidelines. Offices still relying on paper charts or an antiquated practice management system will have a tougher time achieving these operational efficiencies than a practice using pediatric electronic medical record (EMR) / electronic health record (EHR) software.

Pediatric EMR systems will have unique features and functionality for pediatric clinics. For example, most systems will have immunization management that tracks vaccines, connects with state immunization registries and notifies providers when a vaccination is due. Pediatrician EMRs will also have preterm, infant and child growth and BMI charts. They will have some level of reporting for school and camp physical forms, VFC eligibility status, HEDIS immunization compliance, and more. Finally, most systems will have customizable templates and workflow designed for pediatricians.

Pediatricians should look for the following capabilities in an EMR:

Pediatric-specific workflow	The EMR needs to address the high volume, short notice, rapid turnover nature of a pediatric clinic. It should also offer the ability to capture and protect sensitive childcare information, as well as support different family structures based on the practice environment.
Pediatric drug alert system	Drug interactions and dosage calculations are their own beast in a pediatric practice. Many EMRs have dosage calculators and drug interaction checking and alert systems to ensure the patient is being treated safely and appropriately.
Well child/preventive care	Particularly in infancy, pediatrics involves well visits and preventive care as much as treatment of illness. In addition to standard well visit templates, many EMRs include templates for school, sports, camp, daycare physicals. If this is a major part of your practice, check to make sure you can produce these forms electronically in ways the agency/facility will accept, which will save valuable pediatrician time by not having to fill out forms manually.
Pediatric SOAP notes templates	Sample templates include: flu, allergies, abdominal pain, school excuse, ears, appendicitis, reflux, vomiting/diarrhea, viral infections.
Immunization management	Administering vaccines is a major component of a pediatric practice, making immunization management critical in a quality EMR. A recommended immunization schedule enables alerts and automated reminder letters, customizable to the patient and the practice. The most efficient systems can obtain paper or electronic parental authorizations, and the immunization order should fully document all aspects, including site location, lot number and reaction, if any.
Age- and gender-specific growth charts	A pediatric EMR should document birth and prenatal history and be able to chart and calculate growth patterns and document developmental milestones, automatically graphing vital signs to growth charts. When it comes to documenting age, a pediatric EMR needs to be much more specific than a generic one: make sure your EMR can record the age in months, or even days or hours for a neonatologist.
Correspondence	Parental consent forms, school excuse letters, patient referral letters, and physicals are just a few of the forms of correspondence a pediatrician has to handle. Most EMRs generate these documents electronically on your customized letterhead, ready to be emailed or printed.

Pediatric EMR software can be combined with medical billing software and medical scheduling software as an integrated medical system. Pediatric billing software helps billing staff check in patients, verify eligibility, code diagnoses and procedures and more.

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