Oscar EMR Information
Frequently Asked Questions

NOTICE OF NON-AFFILIATION AND DISCLAIMER

We are not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with McMaster Oscar EMR, or any of its affiliates. The name Oscar EMR, as well as related names, marks, emblems and images are registered trademarks of their respective owners.



Why use an EMR?


EMR stands for Electronic Medical Records. Traditionally, doctors have used paper records to track patient data in their clinics. Please see the below table for a list of pro’s and con’s of each method.

PaperEMR(“Paper-less”)
BackupsPhotocopies:
  • expensive (cost of paper)
  • storage (takes up space)
  • overwhelming to keep track of all these copies!
Digital Backups:
  • you can make as many copies as you need on an offsite location
  • disk space is quite cheap these days
Security
  • only as secure as the weakest lock, i.e. a filing cabinet?
  • keys can be stolen more easily than passwords can be guessed
  • encrypted data
  • as secure as your passwords
  • note: Oscar can be configured to ask for multiple passwords, for higher security
Work at Home
  • doctors who carry their paperwork home with them are taking a huge risk with security when they carry a physical copy: data can be stolen from their car or their home
  • they may lose their only copy while traveling
  • access the same data at home as you do in the office via your home internet connection
  • password protected data
  • no risk of physically losing the only copy of your work
Encounter Write-up SpeedSome doctors are faster at writing notes by hand; they are unaccustomed to typing.Oscar Encounter templates allow doctors to retrieve templates for common ailments. These forms can be customized for each doctor, or doctors can choose to use Oscar’s existing templates, which come with the Oscar application.
  • saves time so that doctors don’t have to rewrite the same notes for common ailments and treatments
  • reminds doctors to be thorough and not miss asking key questions when needed, i.e. allergies with a certain medication
  • less spelling mistakes
Up-to-dateDoctors need to constantly look up the latest recommendation on which drugs to use and what dosage, which causes a break in the appointment when the doctor needs to excuse herself to check a book.
  • EMR will automatically flag adverse drug interactions
  • EMRs have the latest recommendations in their system already, and it’s faster to look it up on the EMR than looking it up in a book.
FormsDoctors need to fill out many forms (i.e. requisition forms, WSIB forms, etc) by hand - but filling in patient contact info is tedious and a poor use of a doctor’s time!Oscar eForms allow doctors to prefill patient contact information, which decreases the time spent filling out forms, while simultaneously saving an electronic copy of what was given to the patient.


RETURN

Oscar EMR Hosting Package:

Access your Oscar Electronic Medical Records (EMR) remotely. No need to buy extra computers!

Oscar EMR Local Server - New Office Package:

We will set up all your IT equipment, including desktops, printers, magnetic card readers, document scanners and fax machines. Click here for more details.