Question

What are two advantages and two disadvantages of EHRs? What is meaningful use? What are the barriers to implementing an EHR system? Has your health care provider adopted an EHR?

Answer 1

Answer: Two advantages of the electronic health records (EHR) are

1. It helps in maintaining the health records in a better way and ensures that the medical staff has proper information about the patient
2. They can be used for demonstrating the meaningful use which can help to get the financial benefits offered by Medicare and Medicaid.

Two disadvantages are

1. This data can be hacked and used for illegal uses
2. It involves extra financial costs

The term meaningful use refers to the use of the certified EHR technology in health care for improving efficiency, safety, quality, and for reducing health disparities. It involves engaging the patients and their families and improving the health care co ordination.

The barriers for implementing the EHR are

1. High costs which are associated with these systems
2. The lack of technological knowledge and expertise
3. The people inside the organizations need to be trained
4. Usability challenges are also present in many EHR systems
5. Creating an IT infrastructure required for EHR is not easy