DB Post

9/27/2015
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are becoming a part of the U.S. healthcare transformation because of federal incentive payments. Although the liability risk is increased for physicians, EHRs have multiple benefits and offer opportunities to improve care coordination and standardize clinical documentation.
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) is the policy initiative signed into law in 2009 to incentivize health care practitioners on a large scale to implement and utilize EHRs. EHRs have key functionalities designed to enhance health information exchange, reduce errors and liability including clinical decision support systems and computerized order entry systems. A 2008 Harvard public health study of high EHR users versus low EHR users found that litigation risk was reduced. It noted that 5.7 percent of high EHR users had malpractice payouts compared to 12.1 percent of low EHR users.
Outlined below are the unique benefits and challenges that the EHR presents for patients and providers.
Patients
Advantages: * Improvement in the quality of care, medical diagnosis and treatment * Reduction in medical errors impacting patients * Improved delivery of care including faster decision making and care from providers
Disadvantages:
* Patient privacy concerns * Centralized repositories heighten security risk for patient files and data breach * Increased opportunities for identity theft

Providers:
Advantages:
* Uniform documentation with less charting time required * Enhanced patient safety * Reduction of lost patient files * Enhanced quality of care * Streamlined cost and reduction of office inefficiency * Increased storage capability not require increased brick and mortar space * Improved care coordination and followup with