What Are Electronic Medical Records?

Print

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 sets aside about $19 billion for physicians to adapt electronic medical records, revolutionizing the field of medicine by putting the entire nation on the same medical page, or more aptly, computer screen. What are medical records and the issues involved?

Electronic Medical Records Cut Costs and Improve Care by  Universalizing Medical Information

Medical experts agree that if electronic medical records are widely used, costs can be curbed and care can be improved because the medical community will be able to access information easier on a universal basis. Electronic medical records make it easier to share medical information between hospitals, creating a standard medical record that can be universally used across medical establishments for convenience and universal applications.

The US Lags Behind

Electronic medical records have become common place throughout Europe. As early as 2001, 77 % of all hospital beds in Norway were recored in an electronic medical record. In practice, there are three main electronic medical records, including DIPS, Infomedix, and Doculive.

Currently the use of electronic medical records in the US lags behind the computerization of information in many other sectors of the economy. Billing mechanisms were the first item to go electronic in health care, putting the financial billing on a similar page. The need for a universal electronic system would vastly improve care by allowing medical facilities to compare and cross-sect information, leading to better care and a more communicative dialog that can benefit the patient.

Easier Access to Information

Moving from paper and a physical filing system to computers that can more easily transfer information creates greater efficiencies for patients as well as doctors. Access to good care is easier and safer when records can be immediately shared. There’s more accountability because crucial information can be shared quickly on a universal basis. At the very least, it’s a time saving and cost effective measure, but it can also save lives, vastly improving the quality of care a patient gets because the lines of communication are that much more open.

Without electronic medical records, doctors get most of their information by directly asking you. Each time you visit a different doctor, you make a different report. This can result in errors on your part as well as the doctor's, mistakes that can range from inconvenient to deadly. Errors result in missing pieces of the puzzle, blurring the picture by not encompassing the whole.

However, when a doctor pulls your files electronically, it’s the same file on a universal basis, so everyone is on the same page. Whether you are taking a certain medication, have a particular allergy, or received a particular treatment is there for any doctor who treats you, so you can be sure that nothing is left out of the picture that could result in a inconvenience or a medical catastrophe.

The Legal Requirements

Electronic medical records, like all records, must be kept in an unaltered form and be authenticated by their creator. A doctor can read and write a record through a workstation, or conveniently from a mobile device that are handwriting capable. Data in an electronic medical record can be programmed to predict, detect and potentially prevent adverse events.

The Controversy of Electronic Medical Records

There is a major concern about privacy when it comes to electronic medical records, but efforts are being made to insure that electronic records follow the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Standards are also being made to create interoperability so that the records can be used on a more universal basis to keep the medical community on the same page while protecting patient privacy.

Improving Information Saves Lives and Money

The implementation of electronic medical records will save lives and at the very least reduce costs by minimizing repetitive tests. Since electronic records have been used in billing, the process has been streamlined to save costs. It only makes sense that doctors be on the same page when it comes to the care of the patient as when it comes to the bill. Lives will be saved when medical information is shared more conveniently.