6 Ways Electronic Medical 6 Ways Electronic Medical Records Improves Safety and Records Improves Safety and

EaseEaseBy Rylie PlattBy Rylie Platt

Minimizes Doctor Visits and Minimizes Doctor Visits and Patient OverloadPatient Overload

• Allows the answering Allows the answering of simple prescription of simple prescription related questions via related questions via computercomputer

• In Hawaii alone, In Hawaii alone, patient visits dropped patient visits dropped 25% between 2004 25% between 2004 and 2007 after and 2007 after implementing EMRimplementing EMR

• Allows physicians to Allows physicians to attend to higher need attend to higher need casescases

Tracking Personal RecordsTracking Personal Records

• Advances like Google’s Advances like Google’s ‘GoogleHealth’, ease the ‘GoogleHealth’, ease the sharing of medical records sharing of medical records among family members, among family members, regardless of location., regardless of location., truly globalizing vital truly globalizing vital health informationhealth information

• Especially effective for Especially effective for managing elderly family managing elderly family and invalid health needs and invalid health needs and schedulesand schedules

• Provides a personal Provides a personal reminder of important reminder of important medical information for the medical information for the patientpatient

Instant Access to Lab ResultsInstant Access to Lab Results

• Beth Israel Deaconess and Beth Israel Deaconess and Quest Diagnostics are two Quest Diagnostics are two of the labs implementing of the labs implementing the use of instantly the use of instantly downloadable lab results downloadable lab results the second they are the second they are reported. reported.

• Kaiser patients alone Kaiser patients alone allowed patients to view allowed patients to view 16,773,273 lab results 16,773,273 lab results immediately in 2008 immediately in 2008

X-Ray StorageX-Ray Storage

• Patients will no longer Patients will no longer have to keep x-rays, and have to keep x-rays, and physicians will not have to physicians will not have to part with original copies, part with original copies, as the records will be as the records will be stored as digital images, a stored as digital images, a system dermatologists system dermatologists already used to store already used to store visual files of skin cancer visual files of skin cancer records. records.

• An entire lifetime of x-rays An entire lifetime of x-rays can be stored without an can be stored without an issue of space or damageissue of space or damage

Drug InteractionsDrug Interactions

• Vital drug and dosage Vital drug and dosage information is consistently information is consistently available with the program available with the program E-prescribing.E-prescribing.

• Reduces errors by both Reduces errors by both patient and pharmacistpatient and pharmacist

• Has a backlog of harmful Has a backlog of harmful drug interactionsdrug interactions

Handheld Device Handheld Device CommunicationCommunication

• The ability to receive The ability to receive special alerts by cell special alerts by cell phonephone

• The ability to receive and The ability to receive and review records via review records via personal computerpersonal computer

Current LegislationCurrent Legislation

• EMR’s are currently being EMR’s are currently being pushed through as part of pushed through as part of the Health Stimulus the Health Stimulus package, with the present package, with the present with provision of $40,000 with provision of $40,000 in incentives (beginning in in incentives (beginning in 2011) for physicians to use 2011) for physicians to use an EMR an EMR

• Development of education Development of education programs to train programs to train clinicians in EMR use and clinicians in EMR use and increase the number of increase the number of

healthcare professionalshealthcare professionals

Specialization SpecificSpecialization Specific

• EMR software can be EMR software can be industry specific with industry specific with MDSMedical software MDSMedical software providing for providing for dermatologists, Dragon dermatologists, Dragon Medical Software Medical Software providing for general providing for general practitioners, and practitioners, and AbraxisMedical providing AbraxisMedical providing for Orthopedics, as just a for Orthopedics, as just a few examples.few examples.

• Each company designs Each company designs based on the specific based on the specific standards and need of standards and need of each medical disciplineeach medical discipline

In ConclusionIn Conclusion

Traditional medical record Traditional medical record keeping is being replaced keeping is being replaced by electronic variants as by electronic variants as we move into the future, we move into the future, easing the ability to easing the ability to promptly and accurately promptly and accurately review and store patient review and store patient data. With new legislation data. With new legislation we should expect to see we should expect to see more in the future, as more in the future, as computers once again computers once again improve the quality of our improve the quality of our lives. lives.