IME 3160
October 18, 2013
Literature review: The Adoption of Electronic Health Records.
The implementation of electronic health records (EHR) in the healthcare industry has been an evolving concept throughout the healthcare ecosystem for some time. The term EHR is often used interchangeably with EPR (electronic patient record) and EMR (electronic medical record). Even though the terms are mostly used to describe the same thing, the differences between them can be defined. EMR is defined as the patient record created in hospitals and ambulatory environments. EMR serves as a data source for EHR while an EPR is generally defined as an EHR that individual patient controls.
The healthcare ecosystem consists of the healthcare providers such as physicians, payers such as insurance companies, patients, drug companies and IT service firms. The process of providing healthcare involves massive data exchanges which come in different forms. This makes the execution to be very difficult and challenging. Due technological changes, the healthcare system has to stay up to date in order for it to function effectively. The ability to access, obtain and transmit patient’s information in a timely manner is crucial to the efficiency of healthcare service. This report will identify and document logics, views, benefits and problems that are associated with the adoption of EHR in the health industry
Views on the Adoption of Electronic Health Records
The adoption of this digital record system has received some mixed reviews from members of different communities. Some views this implementation as beneficial to both patients and care givers while others criticize the system for its complexity and some privacy concerns. Regardless of individual opinion about the subject, most institutions around the world believe that the transition is necessary in order to keep up with socio-technological changes. In the US for example, there has been a big push by the government to