Integrated electronic medical records have revolutionized the way that health
care is practiced across the globe. Organizations that have made steps to
integrate solutions are seeing areas of improvement within the EMR, which would
help physicians improve health outcomes, facilitate collaborative efforts and
increase practice inefficiencies (Electronic, 2011). All of these gains are
making the practice of medicine less costly, and more efficient which
has directly led to gains in patient care. A good side effect of these gains is that
the medical community is seeing them and is more willing to take steps to
further enhance their electronic systems, essentially building creating success
built on past successes.
The best systems, systems that were top of the line for their use but shared little data with the rest of the health system, have fallen out of favor in past years as cheaper, easier to maintain, and integrated platforms have emerged and delivered gains. Systems that were once solid are being replaced with fully integrated solutions that allow all areas to share patient information which has led to huge gain in efficiency across the board. Patients that once had to be registered into multiple systems can now be input into a single system and multiple users from different department can work in the patient chart at one time. This team approach has shown the biggest gains for the clinical users of patient care. I only wish this was the case for the VA hospital patients. I have been seen at 3 VA facilities within the last 2 years, each time I would go to a new facility I would have to explain my condition and what treatment I was receiving. I feel the VA healthcare is all part of the government, and with everything being electronic they should be able to look up my file. Sad to say that is not true, it is very frustrating. The VA needs to catch up.
The best systems, systems that were top of the line for their use but shared little data with the rest of the health system, have fallen out of favor in past years as cheaper, easier to maintain, and integrated platforms have emerged and delivered gains. Systems that were once solid are being replaced with fully integrated solutions that allow all areas to share patient information which has led to huge gain in efficiency across the board. Patients that once had to be registered into multiple systems can now be input into a single system and multiple users from different department can work in the patient chart at one time. This team approach has shown the biggest gains for the clinical users of patient care. I only wish this was the case for the VA hospital patients. I have been seen at 3 VA facilities within the last 2 years, each time I would go to a new facility I would have to explain my condition and what treatment I was receiving. I feel the VA healthcare is all part of the government, and with everything being electronic they should be able to look up my file. Sad to say that is not true, it is very frustrating. The VA needs to catch up.
I have interacted positively with my primary
care physician on many occasions and watched them input my medical information
into a laptop at the bedside and in her office. They are able to retrieve the
information accurately and quickly in order to make an appropriate assessment
of my medical condition.Once I am in the system, like I explained before. One of the advantages that I have experienced is
being able to review x-rays on her laptop or other diagnostic tests and have
these explained to me. They are also able to look up any previous treatment if there are any questions about why treatment isn't working. This
is a quality control measure bridging any gaps in communication and education
between the physician and patient. Integration of an EMR results in improvements in
provider satisfaction and aspects of workflow (Palma, Sharek & Longhurst,
2011). There
are also interfaces within the medical record that store medication records to
avoid adverse drug reactions. These systems have indicators or alarms that can
let the physician know whether there are issues related to multiple medications
being taken and administered. While these systems and processes are not perfect and they are a work in progress I do feel that things are getting better and will continue to do so. I feel there will always be some room for improvement.
While
gains have been tangible there has still been considerable resistance to the
integrated electronic movement, which led to government intervention through
the HITech Act and meaningful use. Meaningful use is a metric of actions that require certain measurable number to be hit in regards to a number of
patient care and end user data entry objectives. The correlation to meeting
those metrics and financial incentives set for the HITech Act has caused a
boom in the health information management industry (Bernd, 2011). Organizations
large and small are clamoring to get in line with the government incentives to
earn bonus money or at least not lose Medicare and Medicaid dollars when the
bonus plan turns into a penalty plan in 2015.The success of integrated systems have led many to believe that one day there will be an integration of sorts on a national level. While there are many obstacles, namely structure, data warehousing, and privacy to a national medical record many still have hope that this will help to low costs of health care across the country. With a national health record patients would be able to walk into any participating health care organization and have best information be pulled from a national database and receive care that is tailored to the patient. Like the do in some parts of Europe. This information would significantly raise the level of care provided to patients and potentially save thousands of lives annually by helping to reduce mistakes caused by unknown past patient medical history. New technology is continually redefining common medical practice. The most recent change is that it has furthered the effectiveness of integrated systems and in the widespread use of wireless technology, ie: smart phones, and tablet computers. These advances have combined to give clinicians unprecedented access to their patients and continue to reduce costs of patient care by shortening stays, creating more accurate and timely documentation. This constant change in HIM and integrated electronic medical records makes this the most exciting time in history to be involved in those technologies.
I like where it is now as a patient and can't wait to see where it takes us as a technician.
References:
Electronic
medical records; use of electronic medical records EMR by canadian physicians
bodes well for future of patient care. (2011). Telemedicine Business Week, ,
3962. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/docview/878461542/C6653A12B56C43EEPQ/1?accountid=32521
Palma, J. P., Sharek, P. J., & Longhurst, C. A. (2011). Impact of electronic medical record integration of a handoff tool on sign-out in a newborn intensive care unit. http://stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/l/christopher-Longhurst.publication.html/102544.html
Bernd, D.
L., F.A.C.H.E., & Fine, P. S., F.A.C.H.E. (2011). Electronic medical
records: A path forward. Frontiers of Health Services Management, 28(1), 3-13.
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