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EMR/EHR Frequently Asked Questions
Will using Electronic Medical Records (EMR) really help me in my office or is it all just industry hype?
In recent years it has become clear that EMR systems will become the way of the future. Case studies have found that proper implementation of an EMR system can greatly increase the quality of patient care. The question has changed from 'Do I need an EMR system?', to 'When will I adopt an EMR system?'. You cannot open a medical journal these days without seeing an article on the benefits of EMR systems. If you need more information on how an EMR system can help improve patient care, please Contact Us and we will be happy to answer your questions.
I'm interested in trying EMR software in my office but am concerned that I don't know how to use computers well enough in order to be successful. Can a physician with less than perfect computer skills successfully use an EMR?
Any physician can learn to successfully use EMR software provided they are willing to put in the time it takes to learn how to use the system. Obviously a physician that is computer savoy prior to implementing an EMR will have a much shorter learning curve, but even physicians with less than perfect computer skills can use EMR software if they have an interest and a willingness to learn the software.
Why are so few physicians currently using EMR software in their offices? Why do I always hear and read about doctors wasting a lot of time and money on EMR implementations that fail?
In the mid to late 1990's, the world saw the beginning of the age of personal computers. Sometimes it is hard to believe that Windows 98 came out nearly ten years ago (and is still being used in some places)! The age of personal computers brought about the beginning of the EMR software. The last 3 years have seen a great increase in EMR implementation nationwide. We contribute this to many factors including technological advancements, government incentives, and an overall maturity of EMR software.
Sometimes a physician might see an EMR as a panacea; a physician believes that the EMR system will allow him to immediately see more patients per day, spend less time in the office, etc. With a clear understanding up front that there will be a period of learning involved, the EMR implementation will go much more smoothly and the physician will not have an unexpected surprise. Please Contact Us and we would be happy to discuss EMR Implementation with you.
What is the difference between EMR and EHR?
The EMR is the legal record created in hospitals and ambulatory environments that is the source of data for the EHR. The EHR represents the ability to easily share medical information among stakeholders and to have a patient's information follow him or her through the various modalities of care engaged by that individual. Stakeholders are composed of patients/consumers, healthcare providers, employers, and/or payers & insurers, including the government.
Electronic Medical Record
An application environment composed of the clinical data repository, clinical decision support, controlled medical vocabulary, order entry, computerized provider order entry, pharmacy, and clinical documentation applications. This environment supports the patient's electronic medical record across inpatient and outpatient environments, and is used by healthcare practitioners to document, monitor, and manage health care delivery within a care delivery organization (CDO). The data in the EMR is the legal record of what happened to the patient during their encounter at the CDO and is owned by the CDO.Electronic Health Record
A subset of each care delivery organization's EMR, presently assumed to be summaries like ASTMs Continuity of Care Record (CCR) or HL7s Continuity of Care Document (CCD), is owned by the patient and has patient input and access that spans episodes of care across multiple CDOs within a community, region, or state (or in some countries, the entire country). The EHR in the US will ride on the proposed National Health Information Network (NHIN).
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