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Electronic Medical Records

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Electronic Medical Records
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August 5, 2011

Electronic Medical Records Health care organizations have changed drastically over the years. Technology has made it more advanced than ever before. New technology has affected the way of health care communication. This paper has been written to show how efficient and effective communication is with electronic medical records, its advantages and disadvantages, its influence on consumers, and the electronic medical records short- and long-term financial impact on organizations.
An electronic medical record (EMR) is a computerized medical record created in an organization that delivers care, such as a hospital or physician's office. Electronic medical records tend to be a part of a local stand-alone health information system that allows storage, retrieval, and modification of records (Wikipedia, 2011).
Efficient and Effective Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are increasingly used in health care organizations in general and ambulatory settings in particular. Electronic medical records include comprehensive documentation of a patient’s medical history, easy access to medical data from remote sites, improved communication among the various providers involved in health care, easy access to medical information and state of the art resources over the Internet (medical journals, guidelines, evidence-based medicine databases, medication databases,) and clinical decision support. A recent systematic literature review suggests the use of information technology improves health care by increasing adherence to guidelines or protocol-based care, reduction of medical errors, and clinical monitoring and data aggregation, which are not feasible with paper (Shachak, 2009). A database search was conducted that focused on direct assessment of the electronic medical records impact on patient–doctor communication. A qualitative, grounded theory-like approach was employed to analyze the data. The results reflected a positive effect on information exchange, but exerted a negative effect on patient centeredness. Some physician characteristics such as their computer skills and behavioral style assisted in overcoming this negative influence (Shachak, 2009).
Advantages
§ Easier to find and retrieve medical charts, as well as analyze patient information. Physicians, pharmacies, hospitals as well as government agencies use electronic medical records to track usage of services and cost information as well as to review patient history and to crosscheck against potential drug interactions (Lietz, 1999-2011).
§ Increase effectiveness, efficiency, and safety at the patient level and for the healthcare industry (Lietz, 1999-2011).
§ Decrease the risk of medical error such as dispensing of the wrong prescription drug or the wrong dosage, or conducting an inappropriate procedure, and provide a complete cradle-to-death personal health history of a patient (Lietz, 1999-2011).
§ Potential to revitalize the healthcare industry and provide more accurate and efficient health services, and may also create new jobs in healthcare information technology and related services (Lietz, 1999-2011).
Disadvantages Some of the difficulties experienced in using the electronic medical records as a vehicle for service integration simply reflect the scale of the organizations and services involved. For large organizations with complex information needs, achieving even modest levels of integration can be difficult in practice (Hartswood, 2003). Here is a few disadvantages:
§ It has been demonstrated that the use of electronic medical records has altered the process of clinical reasoning, resulting in possible loss of information. Unintended adverse consequences of medical information systems (electronic medical records or computerized provider order entry) such as more or new work for clinicians, unfavorable changes in clinical workflow, high system demands and new types of errors have been reported.
§ There has been a negative effect on patient-doctor communication. There seems to be a less emotional relationship between the patient and the doctor.
§ Major target of identity theft. Organizations must work with venders and Internet technology experts to develop a strong firewall defense to protect data (Rosenthal, 2009).
Influence on Consumers. In 2005, five hundred United States health care consumers conducted a survey in New York. The survey found that the overwhelming majority of respondents believe that electronic medical records can:
§ Improve the quality of care (93% of respondents)
§ Reduce the number of treatment errors in hospitals (92 percent of respondents)
§ Lower health care costs overall (75% of respondents)
§ Reduce the amount of time patients spend waiting in doctors’ offices and emergency rooms (78% of respondents)
A majority of consumers believe that electronic medical records can provide valuable benefits, especially during medical emergencies, and can improve overall medical care. Ninety three percent supported emergency room doctors having access to electronic medical records to reduce treatment errors (Accenture, 2011).
Financial Impact. The economic stimulus plan approved by the House and Senate in February 2009 included sizable funding in several areas related to health information technology. Obviously, with this money available electronic medical records is a major focus at the federal level. One provision of the government stimulus package would impose reduced payments from federal programs on physicians who are not "meaningfully using" information technology. Although there will be some interpretation issues related to the actual meaning of that phrase, it is absolutely clear that there is a significant push for the health industry to go electronic. Additionally, President Obama has been very vocal about the utilization of electronic medical records to modernize health care in the United States. Studies have shown that electronic health records may reduce malpractice settlements for physicians and insurance companies, which could result in lowered premiums. In a Harvard study six point one percent of physicians with electronic records had malpractice settlements, compared to 10.8%without electronic records. The researchers believe that malpractice claims are decreased with electronic records because they offer easy access to a patient's history, which leads to fewer errors and clear documentation in case of litigation (Rosenthal, 2009). (Ford, Menachemi, Phillips, 2006)

Conclusion. The reader of this paper should know by now that health care organizations have changed a great deal over the years. New technology has affected the way of health care communication. This paper has shown the efficient and effective communication with electronic medical records, its advantages and disadvantages, its influence on consumers, and the electronic medical records short- and long-term financial impact on organizations.

References
Accenture. (2011). Majority of Consumers Believe Electronic Medical Records Can Improve Medical Care. Retrieved from http://www.accenture.com
Ford, E. W., Menachemi, N., & Phillips, M. T. (January-Febuary 2006). Predicting The Adoption Of Electronic Health Records By Physicians:When Will Health Care Be Paperless. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16221936
Hartswood, M., Procter, R., Rouncefield, M., Slack, R. (2003, August). Making a Case In Medical Work: Implications For The Electronic Medical Record. Computer Supported Cocoperative Work: The Joural of Collaborative Computing. 12(3). 241. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com
Lietz, J. (2009-2011). Advantages To Electronic Medical Records. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com
Rosenthal, Michael J., (October 8, 2009). How Electronic Medical Records Can Impact Medical Practice. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/3118442
Shachak PhD, A., & Reis MD MHPE, S. (August 1, 2009). The Impact of Electronic medical records on Patient-Doctor Communication During Consultation: A Narrative Literature Review. Journal of Evalution in Clinic Practice(1356-1294), 641. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com
Wikipedia. (August 11, 2011). Electronic Medical Records. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org

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