Question

in which you describe at least three benefits of a nationwide electronic health record. The paper should be written in APA format.

Answer 1

Electronic health records contain significantly fewer errors than paper records, according to experts.

Communication between physicians can be greatly improved with the use of EHR, allowing each party full access to a patient’s medical history rather than a snapshot-type overview from a current visit. This access allows for a more in-depth evaluation, and enables doctors to reach an accurate diagnosis more quickly.

In addition, electronic health records can make it easier for doctors to follow up with patients and track continuing care, both under their supervision and that of the patient’s other doctors.

1. Less Paperwork and Fewer Storage Issues In the healthcare industry, administrative duties represent a significant amount of time and costs. Clinicians and staff can spend a large portion of the workday filling out and processing forms. Because they are paperless, EHRs streamline a number of routine tasks. As the amount of paperwork decreases, the required storage space also declines. With instant storage and retrieval of digital EHRs, healthcare providers may see their offices become less cluttered, as storage needs decrease and efficiency rises.
2. Increased Quality of Care EHRs provide the ability to exchange complete health information about a patient in real time. Accurate, up-to-date and thorough information naturally leads to a higher quality of care, from better diagnoses to reduced errors.By sending automatic reminders for preventative visits and screenings, EHRs can help also patients better manage their conditions and participate more fully in their healthcare.When it comes to medications, paper prescriptions can be lost or misread, leading to errors in dosage or even the wrong medication being dispensed. Electronic prescribingallows physicians to communicate directly with the pharmacy, reducing errors and saving time by eliminating lost prescriptions. Patient safety is also improved, as electronic prescribing automatically checks for potentially dangerous drug interactions.
3. Financial Incentives Procuring the necessary equipment, hiring the personnel to implement it and training staff on new procedures to transition to EHR can be costly for healthcare providers. Fortunately, financial incentives are available to help organizations recoup their investment.Through the Medicare EHR Incentive Program and the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, eligible providers (EPs) can earn incentives for the adoption and meaningful use of EHR technology.
4. Increased Efficiency and Productivity EHRs can be more efficient than paper records by allowing centralized chart management, and quicker access to patient information from anywhere with condition-specific queries.Communication with other clinicians, insurance providers, pharmacies and diagnostic centers is faster and trackable, which cuts down on lost messages and follow-up calls. Office management is streamlined through integrated scheduling that is linked to progress notes, automated coding and insurance claims. All of these EHR features generate significant time savings, leading to greater productivity.
5. Better Patient Care As explained above what’s good for healthcare providers is often good for patients, too. Streamlined access to a patient’s complete records means no more filling out the same paperwork at each doctor’s or specialist’s office.Every provider can see which diagnostic tests a patient has had, along with which treatments worked and which didn’t. Patients are less susceptible to duplicative testing or imaging procedures, because the results and images are all in one place. Better coordination among providers leads to more accurate diagnoses, improved management of chronic conditions and better overall patient care, which should always be the central focus of healthcare provision.