...Electronic Medical Records Technology is advancing every year. One way that technology is advancing in health care organizations is the use of electronic medical records. Electronic medical records (EMR) are a digital way of recording a patient’s medical history. EMR’s are a more convenient way to save a patient’s medical history rather than using paper based medical records. More physicians and hospitals are now using electronic medical records. “The availability and utility of electronic medical record (EMR) systems provide a new basis for competition among physician groups and hospitals as well as an opportunity for early adopters to get a competitive jump on their rivals” (Moseley, 2009, pg. 104). Patients want to see a physician that has up-to-date equipment. With the amount of competition in health care organizations, most physicians want to use up-to-date equipment, especially if they want to be a step ahead of their competition. There are many benefits when it comes to electronic medical records. One benefit is efficiency. Using computers for storing a patient’s medical history is more efficient than using paper charts that can get easily lost. Another benefit would be saving time. Physicians can get quick access to a patient’s medical records if they are filed electronically. Saving money will be another benefit. Hospitals and Primary Care Physicians will not have to provide space for filling medical records if they are filed electronically. They also...
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...fingertips, which can help with obtaining a more accurate history upon admission. An accurate history will help caregivers make better decisions when planning a patient’s care. Because records are stored in a database instead of on paper, they are safe from natural disasters, forgery, loss, or damage. Many, many years of records can be stored in a relatively small space, which will negate the need for rows and rows of filing cabinets, and microfiche. This makes them easier to manage and retrieve. Less paper also means neater workspaces and better organization in the workplace, and because records are available on the database from multiple locations, the need for faxing or mailing records is decreased, increasing security. EMR can also be used to collect data for Quality Improvement processes, and an EMR system can have pop-up alerts built in to notify caregivers of best practices, allergies, and drug interactions. EMR’s that also have a medication bar code scanning system built in will help to reduce med errors by alerting nurses to wrong patient/wrong dose/ wrong time errors. Electronic Medical Records can reduce patient’s wait times, because it wouldn’t be necessary to wait for the medical records department to pull an old chart and deliver to the caregiver’s office or department. Prescriptions can be entered and printed through the EMR system, eliminating errors due to illegibility of written prescriptions. Because prescriptions are printed on special tamper-proof paper, the...
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