About EHR
President Bush has indicated that he wants to have every citizen’s medical record maintained within an Electronic Health Record (EHR) by 2014 to improve patient care and increase administrative efficiency. Click here to download a PDF of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Information Technology Initiative. There are also numerous other major initiatives promoting nationwide adoption of EHRs.
From a federal standpoint, one of the primary goals is to lower national healthcare expenditures across the board. It has been estimated that as much as 30% of laboratory studies are repeated needlessly, because the requesting physician was unaware that the result already existed. It has also been estimated that as much as $131 Billion can be saved annually in the United States by a universal implementation of EHRs.
Additionally, the department of Health and Human Services identifies the following benefits to the healthcare consumer:
- Higher quality care
- Reduced medical errors
- Fewer duplicate treatments and tests
- Decreased paperwork
- Lower healthcare costs
- Better access to health information
- Expanded access to affordable care
For physician practices, the advantages include:
- Streamlined workflow
- More accurate coding/billing
- Better documentation of patient encounters
- Reduced errors, improved outcomes, and lower malpractice risks
- Better access to common patient data
- Elimination of costly chart pulls and transcription
- Easier compliance with HIPAA and other legislative and regulatory changes
There is a wealth of information available online about the pros and cons of implementing electronic health record systems. Please refer to the sidebar for valuable links to medical and government resources.