Have you noticed recently most every time you go to the doctor, the nurse and or doctor come in with a laptop or tablet and are typing away as you answer their questions? As your nurse or doctor are asking you questions they are updating your EHR, or Electronic Health Records. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health enacted under The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, led to financial incentives for those who could demonstrate meaningful use of the EHR technology. Now more than 80 percent of physicians keep some version of an electronic health record for their patients. What is an Electronic Health Record you ask? An EHR is a technology that allows a health-care provider to record, access, as well as …show more content…
Now that we have a basic understanding of what an EHR system is let’s talk about some of the Pros and Cons of the system. There are many potential positives that this system can have. Research has shown that electronic health records have lowered the rate of medication mistakes by providing appropriate treatment guidelines. EHR's allow for quicker access to patient health records. Previously health records were pulled and refiled before and after each visit, often getting misfiled, making them frequently unavailable for appointments, resulting in wasted time, space, and the frequent detriment to care. The system increases the accuracy of coding and billing. The earlier protocol called for staff to enter data in two different places, for an increased rate of human error. The computerized physician order entry has an e-prescribe feature giving health professionals the ability to submit prescriptions online, making the process more efficient for the patient and provider. CPOE also gives providers the ability to place lab and imaging orders and other notices electronically. All of which dramatically reducing the margin for human error with handwritten orders. This also allows other providers with EHR to view orders and prescriptions, reducing the rate of duplication. Essentially the EHR’s main pro is its ability to promote efficiency, and productivity. The system itself is meant to save time spent writing charts to allow more time for patient interactions, all
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
EHR is a digital collection of health records from a single patient. It records and maintains updated information in a timely fashion. This information is then easily passed, and shared to various healthcare entities. Where it is easily accessible from remote sites to many people at the same time. Electronic Health Records (EHR) include: data on a patient’s medical history, allergies, medication, demographics, laboratory test results, and personal
EHRs have potential in recuperating patient safety. EHRs are efficient as they do not require doctors to use paper records, which in turn result in healthier individuals (Staggers, Weir and Phansalkar, 2008). Furthermore, Canada and many other countries around the globe have invested in EHRs due to the advantages for patient safety. Moreover, EHRs have its advantages, but there are also evident disadvantages, such as financial costs, patient safety, and medical errors (Sparnon and Marella,
In 2004 president George Busch announced the goal to mandate electronic health records for every American by 2014. This would require every paper chart to be converted to electronic chart so that health care providers and the patient themselves can access their information through the internet (Simborg, 2011). The purpose of developing the EHR is to provide appropriate patient information from any location. Also to improve health care quality and the coordination of care among hospital staff. To reduce medical error, cost and advance medical care. Last to ensure patient health information is secure (DeSalvo, 2014) The Department of Health and Human Services appointed the Office of the National Coordinator for Health
“… longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting”. Included in this information are patient demographics… reports. The EHR automates and streamlines the clinician 's workflow. The EHR has the ability to generate a complete record of a clinical patient encounter, and related activities directly or indirectly via interface—including evidence-based decision support, quality management, and outcomes reporting.”(GAO, 2010)
A lengthy list of EHR benefits supports the evolution from paper to electronic medical record keeping. One such benefit, the significant reduction of needed storage space. Bulky paper charts require a lot of space and misplaced charts waste time and effort to locate. Since EHR data remains on the computer, medical practices no longer require secure on-site storage, and electronic files eliminate misplacing files. Another benefit to data remaining on the computer rather than a medical chart, electronic records allow immediate access from several locations. EHRs provide emergency room personnel access to allergies and other pertinent information of unconscious patients. The on-call physician accesses patient information from their home computer, rather than driving to the medical
Although the general population has concerns about who has the ability to access their medical records, data has been put into place showed that the general population knows that having an EHR would be beneficial (Thede, 2010). Research has suggested that patients, providers and insurance companies have benefited from EHRs because insurance companies do not have to pay for duplicate testing as well as patients and providers having the ability to increase the quality of care that is provider (Thede, 2010). Not to mention, the patients aren’t pained to have to remember every detail of the history when visiting various specialist (Thede, 2010). Moreover, EHR can increase medical staff efficiency and reduce errors, and keeping adverse drug events from happening (Bill to promote electronic health records proposed, 2008).
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
An Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a real time digital version of a patient’s paper chart that make information available instantly and securely to authorized users. EHR contain a patient’s medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, and laboratory and test results. Allow access to evidence-based
EHR is an acronym for electronic health records. The focus of an electronic health record is on the total health of patients, not just the care at one clinic. Technology has made it possible for the EHR to replace many functions of the traditional paper chart, and promises significant advances in patient care (The Use of electronic Medical Records, 2015). The information that is contained in an EHR moves with the patient wherever they may be (nursing home, PCP, etc.). An EHR is designed to be accessed by everyone involved with the patients care, including the patient. Electronic Health Records allow for more coordinated and patient centered care. They also make it possible to collect and analyze data through each patient and their lines of
EHRs has been known to be a problem for some physicians or healthcare providers despite of the advantages. Because of this system physicians are forced to perform some time-consuming tasks that could be assigned to someone with lesser qualification, which creates more work for the physicians. Physicians described poor Electronic Health Record (EHR) usability that did not match clinical workflows, time-consuming data entry, interference with face-to-face patient care, and overwhelming numbers of electronic messages and alerts (Friedberg, Crosson, & Tutty). Another issue that was reported is that there are a lot of electronic alerts and people also could potentially misuse the template-based notes which is pre-formatted and computer generated.
Many patients do not fully understand the benefits as well as the drawbacks of an Electronic Health Record (EMR); however, there are many of both. The first major benefit is that you, as a patient, no longer have to remind the provider of previous information, such as orders or allergies. This greatly increases efficiency in terms of patient visit times. Another benefit of an EMR is that a doctor is much less likely to provide medication in error. For example, a patient could currently be taking a daily dose of Aspirin, which is a blood thinner. If their doctor did not know this medication was in use and prescribed them Warfarin, which is also a blood thinner, they have a much higher risk of bleeding. With an EHR, this data is most likely stored in the system, as long as the physician was aware of this. If they were, the system would alert them of this, which would prompt the physician of this, and would not let them order the medication without signing off, agreeing that they are aware of the conflict. There is always a chance for human error, but with an EHR, this is greatly decreased.
Medical records comprises of a patients treatment history and relevant value information’s about a patients, the records provide written proof of a patients medical life over time. Such private and important informations should be securely kept and highly restricted. The storing and easily accessing of medical records is a very important part of managing in healthcare .Most healthcare organizations and providers are custodians of such records, and they keep this records either through the traditional paper recording system method or the revolutinalized computer based system called Electronic Halth Record System (EHR), or even used both methods of record keeping. Although the electronic health record is efficient and valued more than the
Electronic Health Records should not be enforced in all medical settings In recent years, almost every major industry has invested greatly in technology. As we become more reliant on technology, we are able to complete our routine tasks faster, such as a simple doctor’s visit or contacting a Physician through email. Recent laws have enforced the expansion of Electronic Health records throughout the country. It’s important for society to be aware of the changes being made to our current health care system and learn how it will affect us in the near future.
Choosing to adopt the electronic health record (EHR) system requires planning and gaining knowledge about vendors in order to make an evidence-based decision before the selection and implementation process (Gleason, November/December 2014). It can eliminate the use of unnecessary technology and services that have created risk management and quality issues. With the EHR adoption, it can bring challenges and opportunities to existing processes by reducing costs and improving the efficiency for healthcare organizations like Bethany Place in order to inhere in operating more effectively in an effort of increasing the quality of care provided to the patient to achieve better medical outcomes (Cascardo, March/April 2014).