EMR Systems Assessment and Implementation Introduction The days of paper-based records in health care are fading. It is widely believed that the broad adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) systems can lead to major health care savings, help eliminate medical errors, and improve healthcare outcomes for patients (Lynn, 2011). Because of such benefits, the Obama administration included EMR adoption in health care as a part of its overall agenda calling for "the immediate investments necessary to ensure that within five years, all of America's medical records are computerized" (Obama, 2009). Moving to an EMR system from a paper-based records system requires careful analysis, thorough assessment, and a competent implementation team. The selected EMR solution should meet the needs of the organization's specific clinical and business practices and improve workflows and overall patient outcomes. This paper addresses ways that organizations can determine EMR needs, conduct a proper assessment, and implement for success and a positive return on investment (ROI) . The EMR System EMR systems are collections of digital records kept by health care facilities and affiliates such as hospitals, doctor's offices, and insurance companies (Lynn, 2011). They are also referred to as EHRs (electronic health records) - both names can be used interchangeably. The intention of the EMR system is to extend health information technology into the realm of patient record keeping and automated
This case analysis of Stanford’s Hospital and Clinics (SHC) electronic medical record (EMR) system implementation will focus on how the healthcare organization focused on resolving a problem to meet regulatory pressures and responded to an opportunity to create operational efficiency, by capitalizing on the use of information technology to help reduce costs. We will discuss the organization’s IT problems, opportunities, and the alternatives available to address each. We will summarize an analysis of potential alternatives including the organization’s EMR system of choice and conclude with a recommendation to the Board on how to rollout the new system.
EMR stands for Electronic Medical Records. It is “a paperless, digital and computerized system of maintaining patient data, designed to increase the efficiency and reduce documentation errors by streamlining the process.” (Santiago, n.d., para. 1)
Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are a digital version of the paper charts in the clinician’s office. An EMR contains the medical and treatment history of the patients in one practice. EMRs have advantages over paper records. For example, EMRs allow clinicians to:
The federal requires the healthcare organizations to adopt and demonstrate the use of electronic medical records (EMR) or the electronic health records (EHR). They contain patient’s medical history and it
Making the switch to an electronic medical records system will help to bring forth health care advances with the systems data quality and availability. This research study uses focus groups and surveys to get the opinions of different health care providers and some patients on what they think EMR will do for the health care industry. Literature related to EMR was reviewed to get a better understanding of the benefits and barriers of electronic medical records. The study uses data from
Paper-based health records have existed since the time of Hippocrates. The most significant change in paper-based health records occurred in the 20th century with the development of electronic health records (EHRs), due to evolution of technology (Rocha & Rocha, 2014). The development of EHRs began in the mid-1960s. Since that time, EHRs have continued to advance. Many institutions are now placing a greater effort in the utilization of this advancing technology (Atherton, 2011). The main purpose of EHRs is to increase efficiency of care and organize and improve quality of data storage through new resources and applications (Rocha & Rocha, 2014). EHRs play a vital role in the healthcare system, patient care, and
EMR concerns are plaguing the health care industry today that requires change. Healthcare professionals, such as nurses, are on the front lines in the defense against medical errors. Closing the gap between current clinical and hospital practices and the various approaches to improving patient safety requires changes that are cultural and systemic in nature. The greatest challenge to hospitals using an EMR system is the expense of the new system, and the challenge nurses face with technology adoption in usage of EMR and protection of records. Even though spending depends on both the hospital size and the technologies were chosen, implementation and installation of a Health Information Technology system, which includes EMR, are often multi-year investments. The transition from a paper-based system to an electronic system is a very complicated process within every hospital establishment. The transformation is time-consuming and involves numerous staff from across the hospital, including Information Technology personnel, physicians, nurses, ancillary providers, etc. Although hospitals work hard at managing the changes required to move toward an electronic environment, there is no guarantee that hospital personnel will properly utilize the expensive new IT system or EMR. Therefore, the training in the EMR integration is required to all medical staff to have an efficient and uncomplicated system.
Technology has come a long way over the years and continues to advance rapidly. The health care system is greatly affected by the advancements in technology. An example of this would be the use of electronic health records (EHR). In this paper I will be describing the electronic health record system. How my facility has initiated the EHR with following the six steps and describe meaningful use and how my facility is working towards this. Lastly I will discuss how to maintain patient confidentiality with use of EHR, and what my facility is doing to prevent HIPPA violations.
Therefore, several authors share some of the same ideas as to what some of the barriers faced during the transition to Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and if these barriers still exist once the transition to a full EHR system is complete. Herrick, et al., 2010, states that currently, there is no hard-core evidence to support the argument that Electronic Health Record (EHRs) and Health Information Technology is the best route for health organizations to prevent errors. In fact, the use of such technology could potentially lead to errors if information incorrectly entered in the system and Haupt, 2011, statement that smart software could help to prevent life-threatening errors better when administering medicines. Whereas, Boonstra & Broekhuis, 2010, states from a physician point a view need the understanding of the possible barriers that faced during implementation of EHRs because there a tremendous amount of literature on the obstacles but no suggestion on how to resolve these barriers have not been viewed. Barriers such as, financial on great startup and ongoing cost, technical and time to train staff and how much knowledge do they have with computer skills and psychological when support needed from vendors, etc. It suggests that once those barriers have been ironed out and a plan has set in place, then the transition from paper documentation to Electronic Health Records (EHRs) may go a lot easier for the healthcare arena physician, nurses and administrative
The handwritten documentation has been the usual way of recording medical data since the nineteenth century. However, the fast development of computer technology has led to the advancement and use of electronic medical records (EMRs) throughout the past several decades (Jerant & Hill, 2000). The evolution from a paper to an electronic setting can be somewhat straightforward. The two leading reasons why most facilities chooses to convert to EMRs is patient care and safety. Health-care Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) presented its EMR adoption model in 2005 and now tracks the implementation growth of more than 5000 U.S hospitals (Traynor, 2011).
Electronic medical records can benefit patients in many ways. One major way it can benefit a patient is the efficiency of the records being organized and easy for any practitioner or staff member to read. EMR can lower the risks of
Besides the disadvantages of (EMR)’s the advantages pose great benefits to patient care and efficiency. The greater use of electronic medical records or health records can reduce wait times, of seeing doctors or waiting for test results. All staff would need to cohesively work out the technical challenges and software data. With sophisticated IT
Integrating electronic medical records (EMR) with a healthcare management information system (HMIS) is a significant benefit to any organization. Pay-for-performance is the future of the healthcare market and stimulates changes in practices. Financial and human resources costs are also very high (Rand, 2009). There are also challenges when implementing an EMR which will be discussed as well.
Electronic medical records (EMR) software is a rapidly changing and often misunderstood technology with the potential to cause great change within the medical field. Unfortunately, many healthcare providers fail to understand the complex functions of EMRs, and they rather choose to use them as a mere alternative to paper records. EMRs, however, have many functionalities and uses that could help to improve the patient-physician relationship and the overall quality of patient care. In order for this potential to be realized, both the patient and the healthcare provider must have a deeper understanding of EMR purpose and function. In this paper will highlights the historical developments and its potential effects on the patient physician relationship in order to
Electronic medical records had a great impact in the ushering in of the age of Nursing Informatics. (Himss, 2010)EMRS present healthcare professionals with the ability to retrieve and organize data in a quick and efficient approach. With information so readily available, patient safety increases and we know that patient cost goes down. This happens because patient medications, allergies, history, demographic, and treatment information is more collectively available.