New technologies make it possible for the innovations of yesterday, to be technologically redeveloped and re-mastered into innovations of today. This no less applies to the medical field. New developments have added a much needed efficiency for medical record keeping. An Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is a digital record that stores vital information about a patient that can be shared with other healthcare facilities. It allows a physician to review the patients’ entire medical record, without having to hunt down their patient file.
The EMR should include information about the patients’ medical history, a list of medications that they are currently taking, list any allergies that the patient may have, their immunization status, laboratory results, vital signs, and personal information such as demographics, age and weight.
Previously, all records were saved on paper and stored in a large room for up to 7 years or more, depending on the current state and federal laws. When it was necessary to find an old patient record, it was often a time consuming ordeal. Further, in some instances patient’s records were lost or misplaced, and tracking down the records was no “walk in the park”.
Electronic Medical Records (EMR) are digitally recorded and organized, and thus there are less occurrences of lost patient data, and a reduction of errors in the patient’s. Mainly due to EMR having the ability to keep up-to-date and relative patient data. Paper record keeping was non-efficient in comparison.
Moreover, treatment administration and diagnostics has also improved.
With EMR the physicians can note if a test was preformed or not, the results thereof, the patients receives less radiation due to not having to repeat a CAT scan, and the ability to track the combined treatments and efforts of a multidisciplinary team of practitioners. Because many laws require healthcare and medical records to be maintained for 7 years, storage space and clutter in was an issue, but in many cases, and thanks to EMR, this too has been corrected.
All relative medical record information is recorded by the healthcare provider. Physicians, physician’s assistance, nurses and practitioners utilize the system to receive and record various patient information. Electronic Medical Records keeping also allows the patients to review their personal healthcare and medical records online. Physicians and other health care providers, payers and insures, will also have access to the patient’s records, as data is communicated across multiple facilities.
Patients with EMR solutions access have the ability of retrieving their information much faster due to the information being recorded and stored online. All the patient has to do is log onto their patient profile via the internet. This removes the burden of having to go from office to office, and from person to person, in order to retrieve their personal data. All in all, the electronic record keeping has made it possible for patients to receive a better continuity of healthcare, while streamlining the record and date retrieving process for the attending physician.
