Parenting : What Electronic Records Mean for Health Care

What Electronic Records Mean for Health Care
Do you pay your bills on-line, send e-cards for birthdays, and take news websites over a daily paper? during this increasingly paper-free era, medical records have lagged behind, however that is changing.

You might have already got encountered your family's electronic medical records (EMRs) — additionally referred to as electronic health records, or EHRs — at checkups or seen your child's health records consolidated electronically between your pediatrician's workplace and a specialist's.

If not, expect to soon. Implementing EMR systems is expensive, numerous doctors and hospitals were previously reluctant to use them. however the recent health care reform legislation mandates standardized billing within which insurers should implement rules for the secure, confidential electronic exchange of health data.

Under the umbrella term "meaningful use" of EMRs, the govt. has established rules and monetary incentives (billions of bucks in federal funds) to spur adoption of electronic records, that are expected to scale back paperwork and administrative burdens, cut costs, scale back medical errors, and improve the standard of look after patients.


Indeed, EMRs are going to be a crucial a part of quality of care standards at hospitals, who should publicly report on their care — and patients' perception of that care — beginning with results with reference to surgical care, health-care associated infections, and others.

What this implies to You
Having complete health data stored in one place and kept current will enhance doctor-patient communications. Your pediatrician, as an example, will instantly recognize the main points of care provided by the specialist who additionally sees your kid.

EHRs can amendment health care delivery in an exceedingly variety of ways:

health care data are going to be offered when required and not kept in one workplace
making a patient's health care data offered to any or all care suppliers can scale back duplication of medical testing
when oldsters and patients are higher informed, they will build higher health care selections
the safety and privacy of patients' personal health data are going to be ensured
electronically checking for drug-drug interactions and drug allergies can build prescriptions safer
giving an electronic copy of a child's hospital discharge directions can make sure that oldsters completely perceive the post-hospitalization care arrange and might review it at their convenience
Experts hope that EMRs can improve health care due to functionality that may not potential with paper records. And having consolidated, accessible health data on each side of the exam table will eliminate administrative steps that would distract from care.