?Information Technology is becoming more prominent and useful in health care settings throughout the United States. It is commonly referred to as Health Information Technology, or HIT for short. This specific technology includes both Electronic Health Records (EHR) and/or Electronics Medical Records (EMR), and there is only a slight variation between the two terms. The main difference is that EMR are designed to communicate within one specific practice. The implementation of Health Information Technology has had a great influence on the quality of care given by providers, however; there are many that have not gotten rid of the old paper medical charts system. Some are skeptical about this new type of system and refuse to weigh the benefits of phasing the old system out in favor of the new electronic version. Some of the questions many providers have include curiosity of the benefits of EHR’s, what the steps to implement are, and any possible barriers they may encounter. To address those concerns, a health care facility must first establish their priorities, identify potential risks with a way to avoid or overcome those risks identified, create a pro and con list, and adhere to strict guidelines to make sure their system is put into place successfully.
Some of the benefits that can be noted in adopting EHR’s or EMR’s may include the following:
- Improved quality and convenience of patient care
- Increased patient participation in their own health care
- Improvement of accuracy of diagnosis
- Improved treatment plans
- More efficient practice
- Cost savings (Health Connect, 2000)
Since electronic medical records provide a more structured way to record a patients visit to the facility, it provides a more error proof way to record and track patient information (Stausberg, Koch, Ingenerf, Betzler, 2003). To make sure that a practice is keeping current when they are utilizing electronic medical records, it is very impor...