Question

EMR/EHR are here to stay ~ let's take them to the next level!

Electronic health records have been put into place, have been tweaked, and are currently a standard part of our healthcare system.

The original goals of EMRs 10 yrs ago were large ~ maybe too large. According to Commonwealth Fund Vice President Anne-Marie Audet, M.D, the current research indicates that improving care coordination will not happen with technology alone. She suggests that we need to redesign the processes of giving care and workflow. She also suggests that clinicians will need to adopt new ways of working and communicating within practices and across organizations. (Link (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.)

Recent studies have found that the initiation of EMRs have had some unintended outcomes:

Current EMRs can create information overload that complicates providers' efforts to discern key clinical information. And managing information overflow from EMRs is a challenge for clinicians.

Clinicians believe current EMRs have limited ability to capture dynamic planning and the medical decision-making process in a way that supports future coordination needs—present EMRs focus on linear (moment-in-time) documentation while care coordination is dynamic and ongoing.

To maximize the potential of an EMR for coordination involves ongoing evolution of clinical care processes as well as clinician input on EMR design modifications and standards for data exchange to support those processes.

  

Modifying reimbursement to encourage coordination of care by clinicians will likely drive clinicians to demand better EMR functioning to support coordination.

Simply creating incentives to adopt EMRs as they currently exist, given the confines of the current payment system, have resulted in EMRs being designed for billing purposes primarily rather than for clinical relevance to patients and care coordination.

  

DISCUSSION: Review the readings, PowerPoint, the youtube videos and the linked article. Answer 2 of the following questions. and respond to 1 peer.

So ~ Where to from Here? How do we maximize EMRs/EHRs?   

What impact has the last 10 yrs of computerization of medical records had on healthcare and what do the next 10 yrs hold in this area?

Have the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? (Identify and expand on them)

What possible opportunities do EHR/EMR hold for the future? ~ This is a place to brainstorm and think BIG!

Support your answers with scholarly sources. Internal citations and references are required.   

1. Video #1:

EMR/EHR Done Right (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.   

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2. Video #2:

3. Article: Cut & Paste into your browser: How the EMR Is Increasing Innovation and Creativity in Healthcare (Harvard Business Review, 2017) Link (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.   https://hbr.org/2017/10/how-the-emr-is-increasing-innovation-and-creativity-in-health-care?referral=03759&cm_vc=rr_item_page.bottom (Links to an external site.)   Links to an external site.

COURSE: HEALTHCARE AUTOMATION AND TECHNOLOGY  

Answer 1

1.How to maximize the EHRs/EMRs?

ans-In order to maximize the use of EHRs/EMRs we need to redesign the processes of giving care and workflow and also clinicians will need to adopt new ways of working and communicating within practices and across organizations.Also making people awere about the importance of EHRs/EMRs across the world.This is the only way for maximizing the use of EHRs/EMRs.

2.Impact on computerization of medical records on healthcare 10 year ago and after 10 years?

ans- 10 year ago we were not abe to promises a number of substantial benefits, including better care and decreased healthcare costs, serious unintended consequences from the implementation of these systems have emerged but after 10 years we can provide alots of benifits to the patient.Electronic health records (EHRs), is essential for the transformation of the current healthcare system into one that is more efficient, is safer, and consistently delivers high-quality care

3.Electronic Medical Records Differ from Electronic Health Records.HOW?

Ans-An EMR is a narrower view of a patient’s medical history, while an EHR is a more comprehensive report of the patient’s overall health.

An EMR is  mainly used by providers for diagnosis and treatment.EMRs are not designed to be shared outside the individual practice where as EHR are designed to share a patient’s information with authorized providers and staff from more than one organization.EHR also allow a patient’s medical information to move with them to specialists, labs, imaging facilities, emergency rooms and pharmacies.

4.What possible opportunities do EHR/EMR hold for the future?

ans- There will be a huge opportunities of EHR/EMR for the future as it can improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of health care for all the living body.It also help physicians to have greater access to patient information, allowing faster and more accurate diagnoses. Complete patient data helps ensure the best possible care.Patients too will have access to their own information and will have the choice to share it with family members securely, over the Internet, to better coordinate care for themselves and their loved ones.The future looks bright, but the vision can’t become reality without first laying a firm foundation.