Over the last two decades, the medical industry has changed drastically in terms of patient care and access to medical records. It was nearly impossible to obtain one’s own health record 20 years ago. Forbes reports that patients had little choice but to press legal action if they wished to access their own medical data.
In 1996, however, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed, which did offer legal protections to patients who needed to see their health records. Nonetheless, there was still significant difficulty in accessing this information and most people never went through the challenging process.
Today, these problems are slowly disappearing, as patients have more ability to readily view their medical history and test results via patient portals and through other electronic means.
A study published earlier this year shows that after three hospital systems in separate states offered their patients the ability to view their health records and physician notes, nearly 70 percent of patients reported understanding their conditions better and taking better care of themselves including remaining vigilant about taking their medications on time. The results from the study also showed that providing patients with this ability did not majorly impact the physician workflow.
The design and evolution of certified EHR technology and health IT systems that held medical data are now changing toward a more cloud-based and mobile platform. This leads to more digitizing of medical records and providing more flexible solutions for healthcare professionals within the clinical setting.
Both mobile health and wearables are also impacting the design of certified EHR technology. The Apple watch, for instance, could potentially hold relevant medical data for physicians to view and patients to access. Additionally, mobile apps on smartphones or tablets could be used by patients to request drug refills and securely message doctors or nurse practitioners.
In a new report from market research firm IDC, Judy Hanover, Research Director at IDC, explains, “The new concept of flexible, mobile, cloud-based acute care EHR supports digitizing paper workflow and reengineering processes … There’s a huge appetite for getting better workflows into healthcare, looking at department specific and mobile apps. I would see an environment where hospitals and health systems would perhaps rip out and replace in some cases.”
According to the report, it is expected that over the next few years, providers will begin to replace their current certified EHR technology with cloud-based solutions instead. Greater investment will continue to be poured into the health IT industry as providers move onto meeting Stage 3 Meaningful Use requirements under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
Additionally, the future of EHRs will continue to depend on EHR interoperability and the ready access of medical data across the healthcare industry. Forbes states that many within the medical sector believe EHR interoperability will be the “biggest game changer.” However, it may take longer than expected for interoperability and medical data exchange to expand across multiple healthcare settings, as this industry “moves slowly.”
