Ehr vs. Emr - Free Essay Example

Electronic Health Records vs. Electronic Medical Records ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS (EHR) VS. ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS (EMR) The terms (EMR) electronic health record and (EHR) electronic health records are often used interchangeably. However, they are different concepts even though they are both crucial to improve patient safety, improve the quality and efficiency of patient care, and reduce healthcare delivery costs. EHRs are reliant on EMRs being in place. EMRs will never reach their full potential without the combination of EHRs and it is important to understand the differences. Both terms have been confused, in some cases unintentionally. The EMR is the legal record created in hospitals and ambulatory environments as the source of data for the EHR. The EHR represents the ability to easily share medical information and for the patient information to be easily viewed by all medical facilities and doctors the individual may visit. However, before EHR can be effective, EMR solutions must be implemented. Thus far, very few hospitals have EMR solutions that can be effective in reducing medical errors. Electronic Medical Record: This application supports the patient electronic medical record across inpatient and outpatient settings and is used by healthcare practitioners to document, monitor, and manage health care. It does not offer sophisticated functions such as health maintenance and disease management and care alerts, just to name a few. Electronic Health Records:This system is beneficial to the health care industry as it keep the patient records in a computer allowing electronic access to other physicians and medical facilities. It also provides a more accurate viewing of medical history without the need of going through handwritten charts, therefore making it more efficient.