Advantages and pitfalls of electronic health record In today’s date everyone is sitting in a web of information. The ease of access to internet connection and portable computerized devices has changed the way of our life. We can do banking, shopping, submit applications, check tax information, receive real time traffic updates and as simple as tracking the food we ordered online. But in healthcare sector patients still call the front desk to book an appointment with their family doctor. The doctor still uses hardcopies for drug prescription, diagnostic imaging and lab requisitions. Referral to specialist is made via telephone or fax and relevant materials is mailed, faxed or sent with patients. Patients are often disappointed when they realize that the trip to the clinic was only to be told that their test results are normal.
Electronic health record (EHR) is the solution for all simplifying those tasks. Ordering diagnostics and viewing results could be done online. Specialist referral and exchange of patient information could all be done at the click of mouse with EHR. Patients can view their lab results on the EHR portal from the comfort of their home. According to (Abrams & Gibson, 2013) “electronic health record is the longitudinal record of encounter with the health system and various health providers”(p.143). EHR can link databases, allow remote access of health information, send updates and help streamline the patient centered
Kreps and Neuhauser (2010) reviewed significant communication concerns included in the model of efficient and humane eHealth applications to assist in directing strategic implementation and development of health information technologies. The article described the communication transformation developing in the creation of a wide-range of new eHealth applications, which included the electronic health record (Kreps & Neuhauser, 2010). The adoption, implementation, and development of a wide range of new eHealth applications have the potential to improve the quality of care patients receive, increase provider and patient access to pertinent health information, decrease healthcare mistakes, encourage acceptance of a healthy lifestyle and increase collaboration among healthcare providers (Kreps & Neuhauser, 2010). The conclusions from this article emphasized the importance of creating applications that are interoperable, easy to use, appealing, accessible, and communicate the correct information needed to yield the best possible patient care (Kreps & Neuhauser, 2010).
After decades of paper based medical records, a new type of record keeping has surfaced - the Electronic Health Record (EHR). EHR is an electronic or digital format concept of an individual’s past and present medical history. It is the principle storage place for data and information about the health care services provided to an individual patient. It is maintained by a provider over time and capable of being shared across different healthcare settings by network-connected information systems. Such records may include key administrative and clinical data relevant to that persons care under a particular provider. Examples of such records may include: demographics, physician notes, problems or injuries, medications and allergies, vital
Electronic health records (EHRs): Medical records are now kept in an electronic versus a paper chart. All health information regarding past and current medical history, treatment plans, and medications are kept in the EHR. The system also allows sharing of medical information from provider to provider as needed. Many HER systems have a feature to allow patients to log into a patient portal to review lab results, diagnostic tests, plans of care, and email access to the provider
Lastly, Electronic Health Records increases the efficiency of the medical practice. EHRs are more efficient because they reduce redundant paperwork and have the capability of interfacing with a billing program that submits claims electronically. It also improves medical practice management through scheduling systems that link appointment directly to progress notes, automated coding, and managed claims and many other shortcuts. In a survey done on Doctors, 79 % of providers said with EHRs, their practice functions more efficiently (HealthIT.gov). Communication with other clinician, insurance providers, pharmacies and diagnostic center is faster and trackable. The increase in communication cuts down on lost of messages and follow-up calls. In addition, the communication of information between several health agencies also prevents the patient from needing to repeated examination. Because EHRs contain all of the patient’s health information in one place, it is less likely that
Electronic Health Records (EHR) are just as the name implies, a computerized record of a patient’s current and past medical history. It is maintained by the provider over time, and includes all the key administrative clinical data pertinent to a person’s care (The Government & Health IT, 2013). EHRs can provide a medical story for healthcare providers of the patient’s life. They contain a patient’s medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, and laboratory and test results (What is an electronic health record?, 2013). Unlike paper records, electronic records are easier to retrieved with the click of a button. In some cases, the time it takes
The electronic healthcare record system is a new form of technology that help nurses and doctors with their jobs every day. Electronic healthcare records, or EHRs, are a digital record of patient’s medical history from many different hospitals or clinics (Huston, 2013). Arizona College (2015) claims that “ by 2013, eighty percent of hospitals have implemented the use of EHRs for accessing, processing, and storing patient information”. People rely on these medical records to be at every hospital or clinic they go to and the EHRs make it possible. “The EHR is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week and has a built in safeguard to assure patient health information confidentiality and security” (Huston, 2013). This 24 hour access allows all nurses
Electronic health records (EHRs) have the potential to transform the health care system into and organization that utilizes clinical and other health care information to assists providers in delivering higher quality care to patients (Menachemi & Collum, 2011). An electronic health record is an electronic version of patient’s medical history, which includes clinical data, demographics, progress notes, problems, medication, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data, and radiology reports. Benefits associated with EHR are easily accessible medical records, reduction of medical errors, and fewer test duplications and delays in treatment. Electronic health records also improve accuracy and clarity (Menachemi &Collum,
The medical field is moving to another level when it comes to technology, with the implementation of Electronic Health Records, also known by the acronym, EHR. The new system that allows medical records to be maintained electronically, by the internet is making waves. The government has even put incentive programs into place, as extra encouragement to providers. The adaptation to Electronic Health Records has been anything but smooth, as many medical practices have been reluctant and some just afraid to try something new. Concerns will continue to arise until the medical world has an understanding of the privacy and security rules that follow the new technology. Electronic Health Records has and will continue to prove itself as an asset, a convenience, efficient, helpful, and more, as some will continue to shy away from the change. Electronic Health Records will prove that it is “meaningful”, falling under the category of “meaningful use.”
Electronic Heath Record (EHR) systems would have not been developed if it was not for the requirement to have a standard computerized health information system. Without information systems and other technologies such as: knowledge and decision-support systems that enhance the quality, safety, efficiency of patient health care and efficient processes for health care delivery cannot be effectively integrated into routine clinical work flow. Some of the benefits of the electronic medical records over traditional paper records include the following: To increase the accessibility and sharing of health records among authorized individuals. The data tends to be more accurate. Electronic records eliminate the possibility of mistakes as a result of misreading a doctor 's handwriting. They 're easy to store and take up less space than paper records. They 're easily portable from one doctor 's office to another. Their use can lead to cost savings, since keeping electronic records is more efficient than retaining paper records. EHR systems can decrease the fragmentation of care by improving care coordination. EHR systems have the potential to integrate and organize patient health information and facilitate its instant distribution among all authorized providers involved in a patient 's care. For example, EHR alerts can be used to notify providers when a patient has been in the hospital, allowing them to proactively follow up with the patient. With EHR systems, every provider can have
Implementing EHR takes time and money but one can see a steady growth, more healthcare organizations and providers are now adopting electronic health records system. At present, two thirds of physicians are benifiting from utilizing the system, they are using the system to gain faster access to ptients information and give accurate diagnoses. In the future, the healthcare will be similar to social networking Silverman (2013) , patients will have access to their medical record which will enable them to share it with whom they want to and when they want to. It will also facilitate communication and help maintain physician and doctor relationship. In the future, healthcare professionals, patients, and sponsors of clinical trials will benefit from patients data collected in EHR, because such data will have been collected in the same efficient and regulatory manner. (eClinical Forum and phRMA EDC task force,
Electronic Health Records (EHR) become the promise of faster, better and more coordinated health care and this promise became a regulatory requirement for health care providers. The problems with paper medical records have been changed into new and different problems with EHRs. Many hidden factors affect the security and usability of EHRs. The goal of EHR is better clinical outcomes, improved population health, enhanced transparency and better efficiency in healthcare. However, the ethical use of EHR is dependent on its clinical users (Iyer, Leone, & Zapotochny Rufo, 2015). Today hospitals and providers settings have grown wired and dependence on the electronic creation, transmission and storage of data has increased. Many users who access the medical information has little knowledge about computers and have little intuition toward security practices such as logging off or locking the
Good Afternoon ladies and gentleman! I appreciate not only your time but your commitment to the implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR). As a recap from our last meeting, hard and soft ROI represents various benefits which can be included and used in an ROI analysis. The hard benefits are the direct benefits which are tied to the impact of implementing the proposed solution. Soft benefits on the other hand are less easy to quantify and rely on. Soft benefits are often referred to as indirect, because they rely on a number of steps in order for the benefit to be realized. Today we will focus on the soft benefits of adopting Electronic Health Records.
When I had the internship in one of the clinic in Brooklyn as a Medical Assistant, the Doctor asked me to have a notebook which she called it a CHEAT Sheet, it will allow to everybody in the clinic to quickly locate or find , understand and finish the routine tasks without asking the doctor or looking to the manual or instruction. She said that in the long run I will need it and it is true. She need that all her intern knows their responsibility, to the specific of their practice workflow. Because in the office or clinic, we are suppose to be quick and accurate and fast. It was not only administrative it is also clinical, what I practice in the clinic. So we have
The two health information technologies I have explored are Electronic health records and Telehealth. The objective of electronic health records is to make health care harmless and more efficient by providing health professionals and patients comparable information to inform decision making, to benefit precautionary care and reduce duplication difficulty. Some significant things about EHRs it provides clinical decision advantages, physicians and nurses are allowed to enter data about their patients well-being, and patients able to get a copy of their medical records on demand, also those data can share between facilities and organizations. Secondly, an electronic health record should keep a record of every training a physician gives to a patient
It is important to understand that patients are very satisfied with electronic health systems. For example, patients see a vast improvement in the speed at which they are being seen when they go their doctors’ office. Patients no longer have to wait on their physicians for hours due to the fact that their information can be readily available to their physicians when they come to see them. Moreover, all their information is transparent to their health care provider since all their data is in electronic form.