In 2009, one of the largest US initiatives to date put place under Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act was electronic health records. The main initiative of this act was to encourage widespread use of electronic medical records also known as EHR. EHRs are defined as “a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting. (Menachmi, 2011) Government continues to incentivize the industry with new healthcare objectives based around quality and technology. One can only think that the basis of these initiatives start with the electronic medical records as the foundation. The implementation of electronic medical records can result in many …show more content…
(Bennett, Douv, soleman) These type of data driven decision applications offer numerous advantages in measuring outcomes. This allows physicians to avoid difficulties of paper charts with the ability to access an integrated system to better collaborate with other physicians. Ongoing published data available due to electronic medical records allows better implementation of research amongst physicians. The data presented shows EHR’s are closing the gap between standardization of care utilizing clinical based research from real population data. EHR’s have assisted in increasing quality of patient care across the board because various variables these programs offer. Most programs promote preventative care and consistently send reminders for appointments, screenings, and vaccinations. This allows agencies to eliminate human error and improve best practices; as it has been seen that these tools have increased the widespread use of influenza and pneumococcal vaccine rates by 35%. In the hospital setting you hear countless stories about individuals coming in after multiple calls for a screening, where cancer is identified at the earliest stage and is prevented; all because of consistent reminders generated from an EHR system. Another reduction I can account for by working in the hospital setting is the reduction rate of medication errors. This happens more often than any organization would
Electronic health records (EHR) are health records that are generated by health care professionals when a patient is seen at a medical facility such as a hospital, mental health clinic, or pharmacy. The EHR contains the same information as paper based medical records like demographics, medical complaints and prescriptions. There are so many more benefits to the EHR than paper based medical records. Accuracy of diagnosis, quality and convenience of patient care, and patient participation are a few examples of the
EHRs have also changed healthcare by increasing productivity. Now health care professionals are not having to order scan or test multiple times due to results not being able to be located. One additional way that EHRs have changed the healthcare industry is by increase patient satisfactions. Patients like that their healthcare providers are easily up to date on the facts of their health information. Healthcare IT is now considered as a essential factor of a high-quality healthcare system (Wager, Lee, Glaser, 2013).
As the national health care system transitions to the electronic health record (EHR), it is important to recall the impetus to this reform. Prior to the implementation of the electronic health record, the national health care system encountered many problems that impeded quality patient care. There was not a standardized formal structure with the process. Consequently, it lacked communication across disciplines and among providers and
EHRs can positively influence workplace efficiency and communication and improve productivity with better access to and organization of patient data (McGinn, et al., 2011). EHRs can improve operational efficiency by providing the capability of sharing of information within the practice. Additionally, health information can be shared with external health care organizations provided the proper interoperability infrastructure is in place. Physicians can access patient information anytime and anywhere the system is enabled, enhancing patient safety as well as quality and continuity of care, particularly for physicians on call or working at multiple sites. They also can have access to drug recalls or other alerts provided through the EHR.
In efforts to reform the United States healthcare system and create a nationally unified data exchange system the federal government has established an incentive program to eligible professionals and hospitals. The federal government has turned to certified electronic health record (EHR) technology to help facilitate the process of broadening health IT infrastructures. The federal government views EHR system used in meaningful ways as the key to reforming the healthcare systems. Meaningful use of the EHR systems can also improve the overall quality of healthcare, insure patient safety, as well as reduce the cost of healthcare to individuals (Bigalke & Morris, 2010, p. 116).
The healthcare industry is in the midst of a major change from paper based medical record keeping to electronic medical record keeping. As part of the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was passed (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, 2014). HITECH is the U.S. Government’s first major contribution to the change from paper to electronic health information technology by setting meaningful use incentive program for Medicare and Medicaid providers that met certain requirements. Healthcare professionals that meet the meaningful use criteria will be awarded financially, and those that don’t meet the 2015 guideline will be penalized. We live in an electronic world of instant access to information and by adopting health information technology we give providers better and easier access to more information which in turn allows them to make a more informed diagnosis and treatment plan for the patient. The electronic health record (EHR) is part of the new information technology. According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (2014.), EHR’s provide many benefits such as improvement in the quality of patient care; improvement in the coordination of patient care; more accurate diagnosis and better outcomes; a higher level of patient participation in their own care; and cost savings for the practice
Technology has come a long way over the years and continues to advance rapidly. The health care system is greatly affected by the advancements in technology. An example of this would be the use of electronic health records (EHR). In this paper I will be describing the electronic health record system. How my facility has initiated the EHR with following the six steps and describe meaningful use and how my facility is working towards this. Lastly I will discuss how to maintain patient confidentiality with use of EHR, and what my facility is doing to prevent HIPPA violations.
First, it can improve standards of care. Data collected by the Electronic Health Records provides the best treatment methods; leading to a healthier population (Ferguson, 2001). It is tangent to the over-all goal of knowing the best way to handle treatment for each individual patient. Second, it will bring increased patient participation and collaboration. Our health spending is in a large part due to our chronic health issues. Chronic diseases brought on by poor lifestyle choices are difficult to handle, but IT provides a better way for organizations to develop new disease management solutions to address the issue. Data retrieved from EHR’s could also be beneficial in figuring out ways to curtail costs associated with chronic illness. The third way is the healthcare industry is continuously changing, and that results in an overpowering amount of information to distill and absorb. Also, the coming wave of electronic clinical data provides us an opportunity to replace old-fashioned, volume-based, fee for service business model with one fixated on the quality of the product. And last, but certainly not least, health IT should be used as a tool to include the patient in his or her own care. We need to become better educated as patients. Also, standing up and questioning services, quality, and price to make this break
As patient information is readily available in the electronic record, it makes health care provider make better and quicker choices and decisions. These decisions can be based on evidence base care that is supported through data that is gathered from the patient’s records. EHR improves patient safety by providing access to information, eliminating gaps of communication among the different providers, decrease redundancy, and reduces duplication in testing. EHR has benefited health care and at the same time create positive outcomes for the nurses. Some of the positive outcomes for nurses are; comparison of previous to current data, improves documentation of the quality of care, allows recognition of the work done in measurable units by nurses, and reduces redundancy with baseline demographic data (Hebda & Czar, 2013). Data that is summarized through the EHR can evaluate performance management and look at quality issues. Along with those features, EHR can potentially increase efficiency, improved quality of care, standardize documentation, increase clinical workflow, and improved overall outcomes for
The potential benefits of EHR adoption include: real time patient information, limiting redundant workflow, standardization of care, increased productivity, reduction of errors, and more timely accurate communication
The United States is entering a new generation of healthcare, requiring providers to use electronic health records to improve the new technology that have grow to a better use. The electronic health care replace all kind of information of medical records writing down on paper. Back in 2003 the (IOM) Institute of medicine create the use of EHR and stablish the eight core functions requirements to improve some issues. The quality care, feasibility, chronic disease management, and efficiency was needed to change for patients care.
As everything is done online now, healthcare is gearing that same direction with utilizing EHR (electronic health record) when it comes to better patient satisfaction. The paper recording system is fading out because its unreliable and very costly for many practices. In order to provide fast and accurate information to physicians and patients EHR comes very handy. It doesn’t seem that too many are utilizing it to its full capacity because of cost, time and having to getting used to it but it does save lives and minimizes errors.
Electronic health records are used in health care to replace paper charts. They contain valuable patient medical information. EHRs improve quality of care without expensive, time-consuming processes. Although there are many reasons to use electronic health records, there are also some disadvantages to using them. More importantly though, there is a real importance for EHRs this day-in-age.
Medical technologies are widely used in the health care industry for many reasons, to provide care, to help improve the patients’ welfare, and serve as preventative measures, (Longest & Darr, 2008, p. 122). As stated in the press release, the Recovery Act awards to the fifteen Beacon communities generate a pathway to introduce health information technology, such as electronic health record (EHR) in health care organizations (White House, 2010). Electronic health records (EHR) is best described as an electronic version of patients’ health records. Electronic health record (EHR) is a system that allows health care organizations such as
Another big plus of the EHRs is that studies have shown that it has helped providers improve accuracy of diagnoses and health outcomes (Couch, 2008). For example, nurses could have reliable access to patients complete health information and have pictures which would help with whatever problem they might encounter. EHR doesn’t just keep patients medications and allergies, it also check for problems whenever a new medication is prescribed and it also alerts the nurse of potential problems (Couch, 2008). EHRs can also tell the nurse if potential safety problems occur, which helps them avoid more serious consequences for patients, which can lead to better outcomes. The EHRs can also help nurses quickly identify and correct operational problems, which compared to the paper-based setting, those kinds of problems would be more difficult to correct. It can also help