Comparing Various Electronic Medical Records
Medical Information and Office Practice: HIT 113
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March 7, 2011
The implementation of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) into our lives is coming full tilt. There are enormous amounts of pros and cons involved in the concept and execution of pursuing this action. As a health information management professional, the impact of this will affect my career. However, it is not the purpose of this research assignment to argue the morality or cause and effect matters once the EMR is rooted into our lives. My job here is to make an analysis of three different software systems that EMR based and how they compare in varying ways. As way of an introduction, I would like to identify just what an EMR is. EMR software is a computer application that manages the clinical, financial and administrative functions of a healthcare organization in order to reduce the office workload and increase efficiency along with other benefits, such as improved security, reduced malpractice insurance premiums and enhanced quality of care. For a system to be considered a true “EMR”, it must integrate information from multiple sources, capture data at the point of encounter and support caregiver’s decision making process. Many systems on the market use the “EMR” acronym as a buzzword and do not have the capability to perform these functions. A suitable EMR software is typically an application that is installed on central server and connected to terminals such as PC‘s and PDA’s via a network. The caregivers and administrative staff can than access these terminals to input clinical, financial and administrative data. EMR software usually integrates with the organization’s existing billing software, and allows the caregiver to see the patient check-in/check-out routine, submit CPT/ICD information to the billing software, assist the caregiver in decision-making by suggesting treatment plans and generate reports. All…
