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EHR Integration Guide: Connecting Your Healthcare Systems
What EHR integration means in practice, the common connections practices need, and the questions to ask any vendor before you buy.
Jogaza Health Team1 min read
Most practices run on more than one system: the EHR, a clearinghouse, a payment processor, a video platform, lab portals and an e-prescribing tool. How well these connect affects how much re-typing your staff does.
Why Integration Matters
- Less duplicate data entry
- Fewer transcription errors
- Smoother workflows
- A better experience for patients
Common Integrations
Lab Systems
- Electronic orders and results through a lab interface, often built on HL7 standards
- Otherwise, printed requisitions with results entered into the chart
Pharmacy and E-Prescribing
- Electronic prescriptions sent to the patient's pharmacy
- Medication history and formulary information
- EPCS for controlled substances, which has its own identity-proofing and two-factor requirements
Billing and Clearinghouses
- Insurance eligibility checks (the 270/271 transactions)
- Claim submission (837) and payer responses such as 999 acknowledgments, 277CA claim status and 835 remittances
- Payment posting
Scheduling and Communication
- Online booking
- Appointment reminders
- Video visit links
Questions to Ask Any Vendor
- Which connections are built in, and which need a third party or extra fees?
- For each one, is it a live electronic interface or a manual step such as printing or uploading?
- Can you export your data if you leave?
- Will the vendor sign a BAA covering the PHI it handles?
What Jogaza Connects To
Jogaza EHR keeps its connections focused on what a psychiatric practice uses day to day:
- Office Ally for insurance eligibility checks and claim submission, with claim status updated from Office Ally's 999, 277CA and 835 reports
- Stripe, using the practice's own account, for card payments
- Zoom or Google Meet for telehealth, with a meeting link created for each telehealth visit
- LabCorp and Quest through printable requisitions, with results recorded in the chart and abnormal values flagged (there is no direct electronic lab interface)
Jogaza does not include e-prescribing. Prescriptions are recorded in the chart, and clinicians send them through their existing e-prescribing tool.