Question

Consider your experience and learning with regard to EHRs. If you were to design a learning program centered on the use of EHRs, what would it look like? Consider this from the viewpoint of an educator, a student, a clinician, and a healthcare administrator.

Answer 1

Answer:

What is an electronic health record (EHR)?

Electronic Health Records: The Basics

An electronic health record (EHR) is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart. EHRs are real-time, patient-centered records that make information available instantly and securely to authorized users. While an EHR does contain the medical and treatment histories of patients, an EHR system is built to go beyond standard clinical data collected in a provider’s office and can be inclusive of a broader view of a patient’s care. EHRs can:

• Contain a patient’s medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, and laboratory and test results
• Allow access to evidence-based tools that providers can use to make decisions about a patient’s care
• Automate and streamline provider workflow

One of the key features of an EHR is that health information can be created and managed by authorized providers in a digital format capable of being shared with other providers across more than one health care organization. EHRs are built to share information with other health care providers and organizations – such as laboratories, specialists, medical imaging facilities, pharmacies, emergency facilities, and school and workplace clinics – so they contain information from all clinicians involved in a patient’s care.

With EHRs, your organization can help build a healthier future for our nation.

Benefits of EHRs

An electronic health record (EHR) is more than a digital version of a patient’s paper chart.

EHRs are real-time, patient-centered records that make information available instantly and securely to authorized users. While an EHR does contain the medical and treatment histories of patients, an EHR system is built to go beyond standard clinical data collected in a provider’s office and can be inclusive of a broader view of a patient’s care. EHRs can:

Contain a patient’s medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, and laboratory and test results

Allow access to evidence-based tools that providers can use to make decisions about a patient’s care

Automate and streamline provider workflow

Impact of EHRs on Care

Our world has been radically transformed by digital technology – smart phones, tablets, and web-enabled devices have transformed our daily lives and the way we communicate. Medicine is an information-rich enterprise.

A greater and more seamless flow of information within a digital health care infrastructure, created by electronic health records (EHRs), encompasses and leverages digital progress and can transform the way care is delivered and compensated.

With EHRs, information is available whenever and wherever it is needed.

  Improved Patient Care

  Increase Patient Participation

  Improved Care Coordination

  Improved Diagnostics & Patient Outcomes

  Practice Efficiencies and Cost Savings

Advantages of Electronic Health Records

EHRs and the ability to exchange health information electronically can help you provide higher quality and safer care for patients while creating tangible enhancements for your organization. EHRs help providers better manage care for patients and provide better health care by:

• Providing accurate, up-to-date, and complete information about patients at the point of care
• Enabling quick access to patient records for more coordinated, efficient care
• Securely sharing electronic information with patients and other clinicians
• Helping providers more effectively diagnose patients, reduce medical errors, and provide safer care
• Improving patient and provider interaction and communication, as well as health care convenience
• Enabling safer, more reliable prescribing
• Helping promote legible, complete documentation and accurate, streamlined coding and billing
• Enhancing privacy and security of patient data
• Helping providers improve productivity and work-life balance
• Enabling providers to improve efficiency and meet their business goals
• Reducing costs through decreased paperwork, improved safety, reduced duplication of testing, and improved health.

Other Advantages

Transformed Health Care

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are the first step to transformed health care. The benefits of electronic health records include:

• Better health care by improving all aspects of patient care, including safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, communication, education, timeliness, efficiency, and equity.
• Better health by encouraging healthier lifestyles in the entire population, including increased physical activity, better nutrition, avoidance of behavioral risks, and wider use of preventative care.
• Improved efficiencies and lower health care costs by promoting preventative medicine and improved coordination of health care services, as well as by reducing waste and redundant tests.
• Better clinical decision making by integrating patient information from multiple sources.

What information does an electronic health record (EHR) contain?

Electronic Health Records: The Basics

An electronic health record (EHR) contains patient health information, such as:

• Administrative and billing data
• Patient demographics
• Progress notes
• Vital signs
• Medical histories
• Diagnoses
• Medications
• Immunization dates
• Allergies
• Radiology images
• Lab and test results

An EHR is more than just a computerized version of a paper chart in a provider’s office. It’s a digital record that can provide comprehensive health information about your patients.

EHR systems are built to share information with other health care providers and organizations – such as laboratories, specialists, medical imaging facilities, pharmacies, emergency facilities, and school and workplace clinics – so they contain information from all clinicians involved in a patient’s care.