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EHR In Health Care

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In today’s society, virtually every major industry invested heavily in computerization. Relative to a decade ago, today more Americans buy airline tickets and check in to flights online, purchase goods on the web, and even earn degrees online in such disciplines as nursing, law, among others. Yet, despite these advances in our society, the majority of patients are giving handwritten medication prescriptions, and very few patients are able to email their physician or even schedule an appointment. This is where electronic health record (EHR) comes in, Electronic health record (EHR) systems have the potential to transform the health care systems from a mostly paper-based industry to one that utilizes clinical and other pieces of information to …show more content…
However, given that a bare-bone EHR systems provide only partial benefits to patients and society, the HITECH Act requires that providers adopt EHRs and utilize them in a “meaningful” way, which includes using certain EHR functionalities associated with error reduction and cost containment. Why do we need EHRs? EHRs are defined as “a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounter in any care delivery setting. EHR systems can include many potential capabilities, but three particular functionalities hold great promise in improving the quality care and reducing costs at the health care system level: clinical decision support (CDS) tools, computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems, and health information exchange (HIE). These and other HER capabilities are requirements of the “meaningful use” criteria set forth in the HITECH Act of 2009. (Menachemi, Nir, and Taleah H …show more content…
The quality of care has been defined as “doing the right thing at the right time in the right way to the right person and having the best possible results”, and patient safety has been defined as “avoiding injuries to patients from that is intended to help them. The quality of care includes six dimensions, but most EHR research has focused on the following three: patient safety, effectiveness, and efficiency. However, EHRs especially those with CDS tools, have been empirically linked to an increased adherence to evidence-based clinical guidelines and effective care. Despite the best intention of providers, various factors may result in patient encounters that do not adhere to best practice guidelines. Some reasons for the nonadherence include i) clinicians not knowing the guidelines, ii) clinicians not realizing that a guideline applies to a given patient, and iii) lack of time during the patient visit. EHR systems try to overcome these issues, and researchers have focused on preventive services, including vaccine administration, and examination of how EHRs can improve adherence

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