An electronic health record (EHR) is a digital collection of a patient's health information that contains their medical history, diagnoses, medications, allergies, test results, and other information. EHRs provide benefits to both patients and staff. For patients, EHRs improve access to health information and care while strengthening the patient-physician relationship. For staff, EHRs allow for faster, more efficient care and secure storage of patient data. The overall goal of EHRs is to enhance quality of care and efficiency across healthcare systems through accessible and secure health information.
2. What Is An EHR?
An Electronic Health Record (EHR) also known as an
Electronic Medical record (EMR) is a digital collection of
health information about a patient.
3. What Information Does an EHR
Contain?
Patient's medical history
Diagnoses
Medications
Immunizations
Allergies
Radiology images and
reports
H&P
Lab results
Test results
Demographics
Progress notes
Contraindications / drug
interactions
Vital signs
4. Patient Benefits:
Greater availability of health information
Reduction of duplicate tests or potentially risky tests
Decreased delays in treatment
Access to patient portals: patients have access to their
basic health information online
This helps to keep patients well informed
Better decision making for patients
Strengthening relationships with physicians
5. Benefits Of EHRs
For Staff
Store and capture data securely, quickly,
and more intuitively.
Multiple ways of data entry such as voice
recognition, handwriting recognition, as
well as point and click.
Multi-facility communication
Allows for faster more effective patient
care
Increased billing efficiency
Reduce medical error as a result of more
accurate and clear record keeping
This will decrease coding errors and
sequentially increase reimbursement
Alerts for allergies and dangerous drug
interactions- this helps to lower liability
issues
Meets meaningful use requirements (paper
does not)
EHRs make the clinician's duties more
efficient all around
Benefits of EMR
6. Benefits Continued…
An EHR is comprised of many
mechanisms that work together to
capture, construct, share, maintain
and store a patient’s complete
health record accurately and more
effectively than paper records
EHRs will make your life much
easier with access at the click of a
button; instead of rummaging
though file after file just to find out
that Jane in transcription had that
file all along
EMR/EHRs Comic
7. Goal
The goal of implementing an EHR is to improve
quality of care and efficiency by ensure that the
processes, systems and technologies are available to
you and your patients where and when they are
needed; while maintaining the integrity of PHI with
secure safeguards