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| EHR System : The big thing in the healthcare industry |
A recent study has shown that EHR meaningful use translates
to better healthcare quality in conditions of screening and testing several
illnesses and diseases such as breasts cancer, chlamydia, and diabetes. It has
yet again been proven that, better patient care and safety is one of
the leading EHR benefits that may be achieved through better patient
information handling using an EMR system.
In addition, with the establishment and setup of EHR meaningful
use stage 2, the relationship between the smart use of EHR and patient
protection has been more evident than ever. The EHR meaningful use stage 2
requirements are focused on bringing the EHR system beyond the walls of
hospitals or any other place of practice. Secured patient access to EHR data
and free sharing of information among practitioners, also called
interoperability, are the key milestones that should be achieved. Yet just how
do patient access and interoperability directly, which is related to improved patient
security?
Patient Entry to Data
and Improved Treatment
Patient access to EHR and patient safety are directly
associated with each other. As per the CMS requirements, an EHR system should
contain patient history, health problems, clinical notes, lab results, and
medications for EHR meaningful use to be performed. When these sorts info are
open to the patient themselves via a patient portal, they may be given the
chance to raise questions and concerns, thereby increasing health-related. They
are also given access to direct revisions such as changes in their
prescription.
Also part of the EHR meaningful use is correcting records in
only a few clicks, as opposed to correcting erroneous records in writing. So
whenever patients see lapses in their information, they may easily correct
them. This, together with immediate reply to queries, is the key EHR benefits
that can be obtained out of this setup.
Interoperability and
Quality Healthcare
Aside from patient access, an EHR system should also be able
to handle interoperability in accordance to the EHR meaningful use standards.
To get example, if a patient is seeing two doctors, both physicians should be
able to encode patient records and monitor the patient's status (e. g.
prescriptions being taken) as per each other's advice. How do EHR and patient
safety relate with the other person in this manner?
By being able to monitor other physician's advice, a
healthcare practitioner will be able to determine the consistency or
inconsistency of a patient's health status, the treatment this individual or
she is receiving, and other related information. For example, if this shows in
a patient's records that he or the lady is getting a prescription of
anti-depressants from two different physicians, it could mean that he or she is
committing drug abuse. With an interoperable EHR system, this risk can be
avoided.
Likewise when interoperability is at this level, the EHR
benefits the whole nation's health care quality. How so? 1 concrete example is
early outbreak prevention. When physicians are able to screen symptoms across a
huge number of patients, proper actions may be put into place sooner.
Uncrossed but
Cross-able Boundary
Even though the benefits associated with EHR system is
actually promising, the fact of the subject is that only 13 percent of all
health care practitioners who committed to EHR meaningful use are able to
comply with the stage 2 criteria. Many practitioners are yet to understand how
and why an EHR system can help them improve their services. What they do not
realize is that the answer to their problem is simple: ASK.
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