The use of Electronic Medical Records is strongly recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) since its first appearance in a WHO publication in 2016. Designed to simplify patients’ care and improve the diagnostics and recording, EMR, or Electronic Medical Records, are one type of Digital Health Record that streamline the processes of referrals, medical history and data collection for a patient and especially for the healthcare centre. Studies have shown that the use of Electronic Medical Records, as opposed to regular paperwork, results in a decrease in overall expenditures, in a clearer history of the patient when referred to a specialist, and in a huge decrease in human and billing errors. Show Advantages of the Electronic Medical RecordsOne massive advantage that strikes the eyes immediately when observing an Electronic Medical Record is the fact that these are universal, meaning that every clinic, healthcare or wellness centre uses the exact same layout: it is therefore extremely easy to use, and finding the facts that are required becomes incredibly simple, once the eye is trained to retrieve information from these EMR. The patient, moreover, will have one single Electronic Medical Record that will be shared and easily accessed by any other medical facility using the same software, making the exchange of such vital information easy and immediate. It is the case of the Electronic Health Record, or EHR, which contains information that can be shared, managed and accessed across multiple facilities and organisations, as in the Australian My Health Record system, sharing patient’s information on a national level with a keen eye on privacy and respect of the norms. Financial Benefits of the Electronic Medical RecordsNot only Electronic Medical Records provide accurate, up-to-date and complete patients’ information and share in a totally secure way with doctors, specialists and the patient himself, enhancing privacy and data security. The economic pros are countless: Electronic Medical Records reduce costs thanks to a lower amount of paperwork, reduced duplication of tests and exams and a streamlined process. The diagnosis and care of a patient is safer, more efficient, and the documentation is legible and accurate. EMR leaves no room to doubt during coding and billing procedures, resulting in a decreased number of complaints and claims, and real and efficient financial incentives. Electronic Medical Records promote preventive medicine and therefore improve efficiency and lower the costs related to healthcare, improving the coordination of different health services. Challenges in the use of Electronic Medical RecordsAs every innovation, and particularly in the technology field, EMR can scare users and patients at first. The main concerns are related to loss of information, which is instead not as plausible as with actual paperwork which could easily go missing or be misplaced, and to security and privacy, which are amongst the main aspects that developers put extra care in, considering the sensitive type of information managed and shared. We should welcome this type of innovation with great enthusiasm!
Background | Areas of Current Investigation | AHRQ-Funded Projects | Selected EMR Resources | BackgroundElectronic medical record (EMR) systems, defined as "an electronic record of health-related information on an individual that can be created, gathered, managed, and consulted by authorized clinicians and staff within one health care organization," [1] have the potential to provide substantial benefits to physicians, clinic practices, and health care organizations. These systems can facilitate workflow and improve the quality of patient care and patient safety. Despite these benefits, widespread adoption of EMRs in the United States is low; a recent survey indicated that only 4 percent of ambulatory physicians reported having an extensive, fully functional electronic records system and 13 percent reported having a basic system. [2] Among the most significant barriers to adoption are:
Recognizing the role that EMRs can play in transforming health care, in 2003, the Institute of Medicine issued a group of eight key functions for safety, quality, and care efficiency that EMRs should support.
[1] The National Alliance for Health Information Technology (NAHIT) [2] DesRoches CM, Campbell EG, Rao SR, et al. Electronic health records in ambulatory care -- a national survey of physicians. N Engl J Med 2008 Jul 3;359(1):50-60. Areas of Current InvestigationTraditionally, the EMR vendor community has created systems that conform only to proprietary database formats, making it difficult for them to send and receive data from other, potentially competing products. The medical informatics community has realized the need for interoperability and thus has created standards for data coding and communication. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has funded several major initiatives to harmonize standards and create a certification process for EMRs so that different products can interoperate better and be easily and objectively compared. This will enable decisionmakers to adopt EMRs more easily. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recognized initial criteria for certification of ambulatory EHR systems as recommended by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT). The criteria were updated in 2010 (PDF, 2.3 MB). These criteria will help reduce barriers for ambulatory providers to adopt EHR systems by ensuring confidence in purchased products. CCHIT certified products also meet requirements set forth by HHS in final physician self-referral law and anti-kickback statute rules, providing access to external means of implementing EHR systems. Federal initiatives are under way to drive adoption of interoperable EMRs, including funding of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Health IT portfolio. The recent American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 (PDF, 1 MB ) authorizes $34 billion to be distributed starting in 2011 as adoption incentives through Medicare and Medicaid to qualified providers who adopt and use certified EMRs. In addition, several States have recently promoted EMR adoption by mandates, initiatives, or funding programs through the disbursement of grants and loans within their States:
AHRQ-Funded ProjectsAHRQ has funded organizations across the country that are implementing and evaluating electronic medical and health record systems. Some of these include: Title: Ambulatory Electronic Medical Record and Shared AccessPrincipal Investigator: Michael DeLuca State: IL Title: An Interactive Preventive Health Record (IPHR) to Promote Patient-Centered CarePrincipal Investigator: Alexander Krist State: VA Title: A Partnership for Clinician EHR Use and Quality of CarePrincipal Investigator: Joanne Pohl State: MI Title: Bringing Measurement to the Point of CarePrincipal Investigator: Winfred Wu State: NY Title: Can Risk Score Alerts Improve Office Care for Chest Pain?Principal Investigator: Thomas Sequist State: MA Title: Cardio HIT Phase IIPrincipal Investigator: Karen Kmetik State: IL Title: Conversational IT for Better, Safer Pediatric Primary CarePrincipal Investigator: William Adams State: MA Title: Creating an Evidence Base for Vision RehabilitationPrincipal Investigator: Cynthia Stuen State: NY Title: Crossing the Quality Assessment Chasm: Aligning Measured and True Quality of CarePrincipal Investigator: Mark Weiner State: PA Title: Crossing the Quality Chasm in Eastern Rural Kern CountyPrincipal Investigator: Kiki Nocella State: CA Title: Developing and Using Valid Clinical Quality Metrics for HIT with HIEPrincipal Investigator: Rainu Kaushal State: NY Title: eHealth Records to Improve Dental Care for Patients with Chronic IllnessesPrincipal Investigator: James Fricton State: MN Title: Electronic Prescribing and Decision Support to Improve Rural Primary Care QualityPrincipal Investigator: James Veline State: SD Title: Electronic Support for Public Health - Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (ESP:VAERS)Principal Investigator: Ross Lazarus State: MA Title: Evaluation of a Computerized Clinical Decision Support System and EHR-Linked Registry to Improve Management of Hypertension in Community-Based Health CentersPrincipal Investigator: Helene Kopal State: NY Title: Feedback of Treatment Intensification Data to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease RiskPrincipal Investigator: Joe Selby State: CA Title: Harnessing Health IT to Prevent Medication-Induced Birth DefectsPrincipal Investigator: Eleanor Schwarz State: PA Title: Health Information Technology in the Nursing HomePrincipal Investigator: Jerry Gurwitz State: MA Title: Impact of Health Information Technology on Clinical CarePrincipal Investigator: John Hsu State: CA Title: Impact of Office-Based e-Prescribing on Prescribing Processes and OutcomesPrincipal Investigator: Michael Fischer State: MA Title: Implementing a Low-Literacy, Multimedia IT System to Enhance Patient-Centered Cancer CarePrincipal Investigator: Elizabeth Hahn State: IL Title: Improving Laboratory Monitoring in Community Practices: A Randomized TrialPrincipal Investigator: Steven Simon State: MA Title: Improving Otitis Media Care with EHR-based Clinical Decision Support and FeedbackPrincipal Investigator: Christopher Forrest State: PA Title: Massachusetts Quality e-Measure Validation StudyPrincipal Investigator: Eric Schneider State: MA Title: Medication Monitoring for Vulnerable Populations via ITPrincipal Investigator: Christoph Lehmann State: MD Title: Medication Safety in Primary Care Practice - Translating Research into PracticePrincipal Investigator: Steven Ornstein State: SC Title: Monitoring Intensification of Treatment for Hyperglycemia and HyperlipidemiaPrincipal Investigator: Alexander Turchin State: MA Title: Patient-Centered Online Disease Management Using a Personal Health Record SystemPrincipal Investigator: Paul Tang State: CA Title: Pharmaceutical Safety Tracking (PhaST): Managing Medications for Patient SafetyPrincipal Investigator: William Gardner State: OH Title: Statewide Implementation of Electronic Health RecordsPrincipal Investigator: David W. Bates State: MA Title: The BLUES Project: Improving Diabetes Outcomes in Mississippi with Health ITPrincipal Investigator: Karen Fox State: MS Title: Tulare District Hospital Rural Health EMR ConsortiumPrincipal Investigator: Paul D. Galloway State: CA Title: Using an Electronic Personal Health Record to Empower Patient with HypertensionPrincipal Investigator: Peggy Wagner State: GA Title: Using Electronic Records to Detect and Learn from Ambulatory Diagnostic ErrorsPrincipal Investigator: Eric Thomas State: TX Title: Using Health IT to Improve Ambulatory Chronic Disease CarePrincipal Investigator: David Mehr State: MO Title: Using Information Technology to Provide Measurement Based Care for Chronic IllnessPrincipal Investigator: Madhukar Trivedi State: TX Title: Using IT for Patient-Centered Communication and Decision Making about MedicationsPrincipal Investigator: Michael Wolf State: IL Title: Using IT to Improve the Quality of CVD Prevention & ManagementPrincipal Investigator: Thomas Vogt State: HI Title: Using Precision Performance Measurement to Conduct Focused Quality ImprovementPrincipal Investigator: David Baker State: IL Title: VA Integrated Medication ManagerPrincipal Investigator: Jonathan Nebeker State: UT Selected EMR ResourcesA Cost-Benefit Analysis of Electronic Medical Records in Primary Care AProposal for Electronic Medical Records in U.S. Primary Care Electronic Health Record Systems: the Vehicle for Implementing Performance Measures How to Successfully Navigate Your EHR Implementation Medical Groups' Adoption of Electronic Health Records and Information Systems Physicians' Use of Electronic Medical Records: Barriers and Solutions Primary Care Physician Time Utilization Before and After Implementation of an Electronic Health Record: A Time-motion Study The Impact of Electronic Health Records on Time Efficiency of Physicians and Nurses: A Systematic Review The Value of Electronic Health Records in Solo or Small Group Practices Using Diffusion of Innovation Concepts to Enhance Implementation of an Electronic Health Record to Support Evidence-Based Practice |