...Are Electronic Medical Records a Cure for Health Care? 1. Do to the current method of medical record keeping is one reason why health care costs in the United States are so high. The majority of medical record keeping here in the United States is paper it makes it difficult to access and share. 2. The factors responsible for the building of electronic medical record systems are like organization, doctors, insurance companies, patients, and the lacking of technology. Doctors difficulties is that they have limited time and to take 20 hours of training to use the EMR. The United States government also plays a big role by having a short term goal that by 2015 that all medical facilities will be utilizing EMR. And patients have a concern of confidential information that will be stored in this system that can be read all across the United States. 3. The business, political, and social impact of not digitizing medical records are that doctors will not be able to have instant access to a patient’s medical records. And without digitizing medical records means that there will be the need for more paper work. Politically the 2015 goal set by the US government would also be impacted. Socially people would expect little error to this EMR system like correct dosages. And by not digitizing medical records has a greater risk of errors. 4. The business and social benefits of digitizing medical recordkeeping are when taken from paper and filing them to the EMR patient’s...
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...Electronic Medical Records and Health Information Technology Gina Martin INF103: Introduction to Computer Literacy Dr. Alex Lazo May 6, 2013 Electronic Medical Records and Health Information Technology Healthcare in America has been an extremely political and controversial subject these past few years. The subject became a political discussion when President Barack Obama proposed a totally new form of healthcare called, “Obamacare”. This new healthcare plan would be affordable to everyone in the United States. This plan would offer a high quality of care regardless of your financial status or situation. This healthcare plan would cover everyone, from part-time as well as full-time employees, and even some per diem workers. When the President signed his healthcare package into law, it had several stipulations that employers were required to follow: they were required to offer healthcare to all employees, and that healthcare had to be affordable to the employee. If employees do not purchase some type of healthcare plan, once offered, they may suffer a tax penalty when filing income taxes. The big controversial part come about when President Obama stated, “That there will be no more free rides for the cost of healthcare for the upper tier, highly paid working government executives and their families that could afford to pay for the cost of their healthcare premiums all along These people who have in the past billed their costs of healthcare to the taxpayers...
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...Electronic Medical Records and the Future of Medical Charting JoEllen McMullan Dr. Maria Lauer May 19, 2012 ABSTRACT Electronic Medical Records (EMR) is the transformation of documentation for nurses, physicians, pharmacists and all healthcare professionals involved in a patient’s care. It incorporates all orders, notes, prescriptions, therapies and the like of a particular patient’s progress along their path of treatment and recovery. EMR will transform the medical field in ways healthcare providers could not have imagined a decade ago. While there are positive and negative aspects of EMR, the ultimate result is one of accurate, precise and up to date patient records and communication between all disciplines in real time. INTRODUCTION Electronic Medical Records (EMR) is by far one of the biggest advances in medical charting in recent history. For years, documentation, charting, orders, and virtually any communication between healthcare professionals has been done in the format of “paper charting”. In other words, each professional would document in a patient chart, their particular contribution to that patient’s care on any given day. Not only is paper charting inefficient with regards to time, it also leaves tremendous openings for inaccuracies and errors. ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS I chose to research Electronic Medical Records (EMR) for multiple reasons. I previously held a position in a cardiology office where we transposed...
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...Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is a computerized system designed for storing medical records. It is an electronic version of paper- based medical record for individual that is specific to one facility, or physician. The medical record is a very powerful tool that allows physician to track the patient’s medical history and identify problems or patterns that may help determine the course of health care. Doctors can also deliver specific test results in comprehensible formats to their patients using graph and charts in detailed description of patients’ health status and treatment decisions fast and accurately. EMR can minimize errors in medical records caused by human errors such as misspelling and differing in terminologies. It can also keep the records safe when paper records can be lost easily and lost forever due to fire, floods and other catastrophes and disasters. It is a definitely cost effective compared to paper based records. EMR is only a click away and it can be accessed anytime globally, saves storage space and especially environmentally friendly. Technology over the years has dramatically impacted the way we use and handle information. Any paper-based information are now being converted to electronic format and stored in a central location for easy access. An EMR system implementation would significantly reduce clinician workload and medical errors which will also save the US healthcare system major expense. Meanwhile, patient’s medical records have to be more...
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...Electronic Medical Records Christina Pierre HCS/490 Monday August 26th, 2013 Dr. Alex Kadrie Electronic Medical Records The Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is a digital version of a persons’ medical record that contains the same information as paper record except it comes in an electronic form. The EMR is much more secure than paper record. The access of EMR is limited to staff who have a leg mated “need to know” for treatment, payment, or operation purposes. The EMR system is designed to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to a patient medical record through safeguards. The system is intended to track patient’s entire health and medical history in an electronic format. A patient’s information can easily be retrievable and can make a patient navigate through the health care system much safer and more efficient. The Electronic Medical Record can help organize patient information better, such as diagnoses, medications, and test result in a way that make guidelines easier to follow. It can provide automated prompts and reminders for when tests are due or when control of chronic disease is suboptimal. Through a tracking system and disease registries the EMR can improve patient care from outside to identify potential quality problems. The EMR also support diseases registries and reports to identify the patients who need follow-up appointments. The EMR can facilitate...
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...There are many ways that electronic medical records can be beneficial to the nation. It can lower the cost of health care, profiting the healthcare industry as a whole. We desperately need lower cost in this economy, if health care cost decreases then it might be affordable to everyone. Then no parent would have to decide whether or not to pay the medical bills or buy food. Electronic medical record keeping will also improve the quality of care, medical errors might substantial decrease and the health care prove would not have to depend on a patients memory. With being in the military my family and I are always moving, changing provides and medical facilities constantly. I as a patient can't remember all my history plus my children, so the electronic medical record would be a great help for myself and my provider. I remember a friend of mine got into a really bad accident on an out of state trip, they couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, he fell into a coma. Come to find out the medicine they gave him interacted with medicine he was already taking. There was no way the doctors could have known, if this technology was around it would of saved him and his family a lot of heart and pain. His records would have been easily obtainable even far away from home, ensuring a better standard of care for him. Patients might also benefit because it would be harder for mistakes to be made because of hard to read records. Some problems that this might encounter is that it might...
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...Electronic Medical Records Technology is advancing every year. One way that technology is advancing in health care organizations is the use of electronic medical records. Electronic medical records (EMR) are a digital way of recording a patient’s medical history. EMR’s are a more convenient way to save a patient’s medical history rather than using paper based medical records. More physicians and hospitals are now using electronic medical records. “The availability and utility of electronic medical record (EMR) systems provide a new basis for competition among physician groups and hospitals as well as an opportunity for early adopters to get a competitive jump on their rivals” (Moseley, 2009, pg. 104). Patients want to see a physician that has up-to-date equipment. With the amount of competition in health care organizations, most physicians want to use up-to-date equipment, especially if they want to be a step ahead of their competition. There are many benefits when it comes to electronic medical records. One benefit is efficiency. Using computers for storing a patient’s medical history is more efficient than using paper charts that can get easily lost. Another benefit would be saving time. Physicians can get quick access to a patient’s medical records if they are filed electronically. Saving money will be another benefit. Hospitals and Primary Care Physicians will not have to provide space for filling medical records if they are filed electronically. They also...
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...Medical record keeping has change in the last couple of decades. In the past patients records were kept in a file on paper taking up excessive room. In the past, paper charts were the only means of keeping a patient’s medical diagnoses documented. Some of these charts are still used today in healthcare facilities, lately; there have been great advancements in the medical field involving the creation and maintenance of patient records. There are electronic medical record computer systems and internet-enabled doctor correspondence methods. All of this is to make the experience better for the patient and easier for the medical provider. In 2009, the 111th Congress allocated $19 billion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, toward the creation of an electronic health record (EHR) for each person in the United States by 2014. The recent debate over EHRs has focused largely on the economic, logistical, and political consequences of implementing such a system; however, the country should also contemplate the ethical ramifications of EHRs. Addressing these concerns requires the application of ethical principles such as autonomy, justice, beneficence/non-maleficence, and privacy and confidentiality. The use of electronic technology for the management of health information presents expanded security risks due to increased capacity and mass storage. A single breach in security could lead to the unauthorized disclosure of private health information. Both health care organizations...
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...Electronic Medical Records Leanne Mansky Baker College Medical professionals in the United States have invested in some of the most advanced diagnostic equipment in the world, but when it comes to keeping track of patients' medical histories, doctors and hospitals still rely primarily on pen and paper. Both Democrats and Republicans support converting all of that paperwork into a comprehensive system of electronic medical records, and the government is finally providing incentives to make that dream a reality. The 2009 stimulus bill supplied funding for doctors and hospitals to upgrade their record-keeping systems, and President Obama has expressed that he'd like every American to have an electronic medical record by 2014 (Pear, 2009) Today, a lot of medical practices are converting to Electronic Medical Records ( EMRs). EMRs are a mode of communication that allows for quicker access to a patients and a decrease in medical errors. Doctors wouldn’t have to worry about illegible or incorrect files. It would also eliminate the risk of inaccurate file storage which would greatly reduce costly mistakes. They also provide a secure system that prevents unauthorized personnel from getting patient information. Paper records can be lost or damaged; EMRs help with the safety and security of patients records. This puts patients mind at ease knowing their records are only accessed by specific authorized personnel. EMR reduces the administrative portion and the healthcare provider is...
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...Electronic Medical Records Project Charter CMGT/410 July 28, 2012 Project Name: Implement Electronic Medical Records Prepared by Team C Date: 7/28/2012 ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS DEPLOYMENT Project Manager: Jim Forgath, CIO Project Administrator: Theresa Burke, Project Management Office BACKGROUND: Good Health Medical Services opened its doors in 1997. The company started out with just one primary physician and one specialty physician, which was an Obstetrician/Gynecologist to assist with the women’s health. The company was slow to start up and therefor manual record keeping was not a problem. The head receptionist was able to maintain the records in a timely fashion and was able to keep records up to date. Good Health Medical Services has grown over the years from seeing an average of twenty patients a week to over two hundred patients a week. The staff has also grown and now has over ten specialty physicians that range from Pediatrics to Oncology. The record keeping staff has grown as well going from one person to three people. There have been several cases of misfiled information or lost or missing files and the directors want to lessen some of these factors, save money and move into the current technology world of Electronic Medical Records (EMR). Purpose/ Business Need: The directors feel that there are several benefits to be had by moving from paper files to electronic files. The benefits of EMR are less paper files...
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...A electronic medical record is a paperless, digital and computerized system of maintaining patient data. Electronic medical records are designed to increase the efficiency and reduce documentation errors by streamlining the process. Electronic medical records have allowed various doctors from around the world to treat patients, offer advice, consult and perform surgeries together because of the utilization of electronic medical records. No longer are the test results interfering or blocking a patient from receiving the necessary medicine, treatment or procedures that they need to become healthier. Implementing electronic medical records is a complicated and complex process as well as a expensive investment. Efficiency isn't the only benefit of electronic medical records. Access to patient care becomes easier and safer when records are shared. The sharing consists of blood type, prescribed medication and medical history. Convenient access to electronic medical records can be life saving in the event of a emergency. The major features of electronic medical records are: -patient history (this is information that will be needed to identify the patient; address, date of birth, social security number as well as their entire history concerning their visits to your facility) -clinical charting (clinical charting will help to easily access and pull up the patients information this will alleviate any lingering hours of searching for a patients chart) -lab orders and results(are immediately...
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...Electronic Medical Records Software HCR101 The major feature of having an EMRS (electronic medical records software) in your medical facility is that it is right at your fingertips and much less paper work to complete, everything is done on the computer and all important demographic patient information ,including patient care ,physician and prescription is kept in a computerized data base file system. The other benefits for the patients is improved treatment and diagnose, significant fewer errors found in patients’ health records and quicker decision making and faster care for all your medical staff. The other benefits for your medical office and their medical team of professionals is that they have the ability to quickly transfer patients data from one department to the next department, this program saves time and a great deal of space, more time and ability to increase the number of patients that are seen by a facility in return this increases workflow and productivity. It also helps improve the reductions of errors within the medical facility, helps to reduce the costs of overtime labor expense and transcripts services. The EMR software program can customize your electronic records to grow with your medical facility, clinical documentation capabilities and ability to process patient’s records in a much more organized accurate and efficient time for billing purposes. The importance of practice management is to eliminate error and save time and cost...
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...Computer Based Medical Records Abstract In the medical field there have been a lot of technological advances and making health records electronic is one of them. The days of having a paper health record are almost obsolete. An electronic health record keeps a patient’s medical information and history on a computer which is accessible to more people in less time. I will explain how the continuity, communication, coordination and accountability of the electronic health record can help the medical office. I will explain what can be included in the electronic health record. As an advocate of the electronic health record I will also explain some disadvantages to the electronic system. Computer Based Medical Records Electronic health records are taking over the paper medical records in doctors’ offices and hospitals everywhere. Electronic health records will help physicians with the continuity of care of their patients. The communication between different doctors and hospitals and also within the office is much faster and easier. Coordinating the electronic health record is much easier. The system is laid out in ways that makes it easy to use and document and also find information when needed. Finally, the accountability of the system is excellent. The electronic health record will help physician’s continue care with their patient’s in a lot of different ways. The electronic systems allows for easy access and sharing of patients health records. (Chheda, 2005) A patient...
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...Impact of Electronic Medical Records April 7, 2013 Technology has brought the world of medical services a long way throughout the years, including the introduction of electronic medical records (EMR). But does the use of the EMRs benefit patients or does it put patient confidentiality at risk? First, to understand the impact EMRs have on each and every one of us, understanding of EMRs is necessary. “An electronic medical record is a digital version of a paper chart that contains all of a patient’s medical history from one practice”. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , 2012) EMRs allow medical providers to access information quickly and accurately. There are many benefits to using EMRs over paper copies, such as allowing providers to track data over time, identify patients who are due for preventive visits and screenings, monitor how patients measure up to certain parameters, and most importantly improve overall quality of care in a practice. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , 2012) Paper copies of medical records require enormous amounts of storage space to maintain compared to EMRs. Providers are required that records be retained for a certain amount of time. “Providers should keep health information for at least the period specified by the state's statute of limitations or for a sufficient length of time for compliance with laws and regulations”. (Donna M. Fletcher, Gwen Hughes, & Harry Rhodes, 2011) Physicians tend to have poor handwriting...
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...Electronic Medical Records HCS/320 August 5, 2011 Electronic Medical Records Health care organizations have changed drastically over the years. Technology has made it more advanced than ever before. New technology has affected the way of health care communication. This paper has been written to show how efficient and effective communication is with electronic medical records, its advantages and disadvantages, its influence on consumers, and the electronic medical records short- and long-term financial impact on organizations. An electronic medical record (EMR) is a computerized medical record created in an organization that delivers care, such as a hospital or physician's office. Electronic medical records tend to be a part of a local stand-alone health information system that allows storage, retrieval, and modification of records (Wikipedia, 2011). Efficient and Effective Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are increasingly used in health care organizations in general and ambulatory settings in particular. Electronic medical records include comprehensive documentation of a patient’s medical history, easy access to medical data from remote sites, improved communication among the various providers involved in health care, easy access to medical information and state of the art resources over the Internet (medical journals, guidelines, evidence-based medicine databases, medication databases,) and clinical decision support. A recent systematic literature review suggests...
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