Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems are systems that can change the health organizations from a paper-dependent sector to a sector that uses electronic pieces of information to help health providers and physicians in conveying quality care to their patients. EMR systems are patient health information electronic record produced by one or more encounters in the healthcare setting. The information that is in this system includes patient medication, laboratory information, progress notes, demographics of patient, immunization, previous medical history of patient, radiology reports, and many more. The health information technology for the stimulus package was signed into law with the main purpose of promoting health providers to adopt the EMR system. Because the EMR system offers only partial benefits to patients and society, nurses and physicians need to use it in a meaningful way to minimize errors as well as contain costs that may emanate from these systems. This paper seeks to describe the impact of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) in health care. It will further delve deep into both the benefits as well as disadvantages of the system.
Advantages of Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
As much as sometimes people worry about the security of the electronic records, this system seems to be the easiest way to manage health records as compared to paper records. As opined by Westfall (2013), access to EMR systems is much restricted and only staffs that have a genuine need to know payments, treatment, and operation of their patients are allowed to access the system. The electronic medical record has numerous advantages. One of the advantages of EMR in health care is better quality care. Even though various benefits come along with the EMR software utilization, none of them is more significant than offering great care.
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With the use of EMR systems, healthcare organizations have enhanced treatment effectiveness as well as patient safety while at the same time increasing the efficiency of their operations. The EMR systems in most cases provide physicians with health analytics that assist them in recognizing illnesses pattern, predicting diagnosis, and recommending potential treatment options which lead to more successful overall patient results instead of depending on trial and error methods. Through the use of patient portals, patients can access medical histories such as medication, diagnosis, and laboratory results. These portals can also allow patients to communicate with their physicians through exchanging instant messages or sharing notes. Additionally, patients, as well as physicians, can utilize this portal to monitor the treatment progress of an individual.
Apart from better quality care, EMR systems provide more accurate patient information. They eliminate the number of errors and mistakes that result from handwriting and legibility issues. These systems allow the physician to deal with patients while at the same time updating patient information in real-time, providing other healthcare professionals accurate and up-to-date patient files at the point of care. This electronic record can be utilized by every specialist or clinician that is involved throughout the healthcare of the patient. This continuum of treatment is important, particularly when the patient decides to switch healthcare providers because it offers each professional with a comprehensive background of the medical history of patients instead of the beginning from scratch.
On the other hand, EMR systems increase efficiency in the healthcare setting. The EMR system increases efficiency by speeding up office visits and appointments without sacrificing a patient-centered approach which enables health care providers to see more patients daily increasing the overall hospital traffic. The built-in templates in the EMR systems can be utilized to assist physicians in documenting common patient complaints or issues instead of writing from scratch. The built-in templates are always to cater to the individual needs of the physician or satisfy particular specialties.
In promoting efficiencies, the systems have also permitted E-Prescribing (electronic prescriptions) that has become a standard practice for most medical specialties or healthcare organizations (Alpert, 2016). Numerous health organizations in the country have started to provide electronic prescriptions to minimize abuse and addiction that is linked with controlled substances such as opioids. The EMR system can also check drug-to-drug interaction that may occur based on the current diagnosis or medication of the patients.
The use of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) also increases revenue in the healthcare organization. While offering more accurate care is the top priority of EMR, these systems can also increase revenue in healthcare. Since the EMR system offers billing and payment tools, it is easy for healthcare to manage their financials and give assurance that payment is collected. These tools can also automatically sweep and scrub any coding errors or mistakes that can lead to rejections. This increases the patient’s first-time acceptance rate when it comes to insurance claims assisting them to get reimbursed promptly without missing out on delayed or loss claims.
The system also permits health providers to document every single aspect of patient visits giving evidence regarding personal claims. Another worth noting aspect of using and implementing the EMR system is the monetary incentives of the government. The health organizations that use the EHR or EMR can earn thousands of dollars for simply implementing a certified solution or meeting the set use standards. As much as the cost of implementing EMR is expensive, government incentives assist the health organization to afford it. In addition to increasing revenue, the Electronic Medical Record systems can be customized to meet the needs of individual practice. The systems can also safeguard the electronic health information of patients.
Disadvantages of EMR
As much as the EMR system has numerous advantages, it also has some potential disadvantages. One of the disadvantages of EMR is workflow disruptions for health providers which may result in temporary losses in productivity. The loss of productivity may stem from training end-users on how to use the system which may lead to losses in revenue. Another significant disadvantage of EMR is a patient privacy violations risk which is a rising issue for patients because of the increased quantity of health information that is exchanged electronically.
The EMR systems are vulnerable to hacking. This simply implies that sensitive patient data might be leaked to the wrong hands. To control the concern of patients’ privacy violations, policymakers have established measures to ensure that the information of patients is safe. On the other hand, EMR may also cause various unintended effects such as negative emotions, the power structure changes, a rise in medical errors as well as technology overdependence. Changes in the power structure in health organizations may also occur because of EMR implementation. Besides, overdependence on technology may become an issue to health providers if they become more dependent on the system, particularly in times when the system downtime is critical.
In this era of a novel coronavirus, various changes been made in the hospital to maintain social distance and protecting workers and patients. Firstly, offices and hospitals have been decongested to minimize the transmission risks of both patients and workers. Secondly, disinfectant dispensers have been installed in the workplace to promote handwashing. The offices and hospitals have also promoted respiratory hygiene by initiating communication through posters and intranet to keep a distance of two meters when sneezing and coughing. Hospitals and offices have also intensified teleworking and e-meetings to promote social distance and avoid contacts.
References
Alpert, J. S. (2016). The electronic medical record in 2016: Advantages and disadvantages. Digital Medicine, 2(2), 48.
Westfall, M. (2013). U.S. Patent Application No. 10/240,613.
