EHR

1. With the EHR, are healthcare decisions now led by a computer?

No. EMR technology provides support for our healthcare providers. The computer doesn't tell the provider what to do; it simply makes accurate information accessible so the provider can make the medical decision.

2. What are the benefits of EHR for the medical practice?

EHRs and the ability to exchange health information electronically can help you provide higher quality and safer care for patients while creating tangible enhancements for your organization. EHRs help providers better manage care for patients and provide better health care by:

• Providing accurate, up-to-date, and complete information about patients at the point of care

• Enabling quick access to patient records for more coordinated, efficient care

• Securely sharing electronic information with patients and other clinicians

• Helping providers more effectively diagnose patients, reduce medical errors, and provide safer care

• Improving patient and provider interaction and communication, as well as health care convenience

• Enabling safer, more reliable prescribing

• Helping promote legible, complete documentation and accurate, streamlined coding and billing

• Enhancing privacy and security of patient data

• Helping providers improve productivity and work-life balance

• Enabling providers to improve efficiency and meet their business goals

• Reducing costs through decreased paperwork, improved safety, reduced duplication of testing, and improved health.

3. What is the future of EHR?

The role of EHRs will change. Now that we are past the “implementation phase” of EHR use, and are moving more to the “optimization phase”, it is clear what we need our tools to be. EHRs need to facilitate practice (or hospital) workflows. They need to move away from documentation time-sinks and embrace technologies that will allow documentation to be finished by the time the clinician leaves the exam room.

In the era of connecting patient’s data across different care settings, the role of EHRs as primary data repositories will diminish. EHRs will collect local data, but will need to share (in a two-way fashion) internal data with external sources. Good medical practice will be the result of this.

4.Is the electronic health record secure?

Electronic health records can only be accessed by an authorized healthcare network. This differs from electronic medical records in which only the provider can access the medical records.

As with any online digital format, concerns of breach exist. Internet hackers possess a digital power that frightens individuals looking to conceal sensitive data. There have been cases in which medical information has been accessed by unauthorized users. While this does not occur all too frequently, the occurrences are enough to plant some cynicism in the minds of physicians and patients. These are valid concerns.

If confidential records end up in the hands of a person not privy to the information, the consequences can be overwhelming. Breach of medical records could lead to identity theft, which can destroy a person's finances, credit and reputation. Victims could seek litigation against the healthcare practice in which the breach occurred. If the breach affected multiple patients, the practice is headed down a long road of legal tribulations.

This is why reputable records management companies have worked hard to provide top-quality security within their software in order to try to eliminate the risk of breach.

Another security concern lies within the conversion from a paper-based filing system to electronic health records. There is a potential for misplacement of data throughout this process. However, professional electronic health record vendors formulate transition strategies in order to essentially eliminate data misplacement.

5. How does the electronic health record change the daily process in the office setting?

An electronic health record has the potential to strengthen the quality of care and the relationship between clinicians and patients through ready access to accurate and up-to-date patient information from office or remote locations.