NUR 621 Topic 4 DQ 1
answer
The electronic health record (EHR) was implemented to improve provider/patient care coordination, population-based public health initiatives, and health system operations by using digitized health data to support clinical and administrative decision making. Though the EHR has had significant effects on care coordination, patient safety, and reducing health disparities; it has had many negative issues. It is important not to forget that the EHR is a new technology. As a result of this “newness,” there are issues that have come up related to integrated billing, loss of patient privacy, and a huge burden placed on providers due to inept oversight by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Our EHR has been a positive addition to our overall health care. It gives us greater ability to exchange information with other providers and the patients can be more involved in the process of their care. Some negatives to EHR include that it is time consuming, may not have all the needed information and can potentially be confusing to the patient or physician
The adoption of the electronic health record (EHR) has altered the way that physicians practice medicine. However, it has also impacted nurses and other members of the health care team, who must now act as digital record keepers as well. At first this may have seemed intimidating, but many nurses are finding that they are benefitting from the implementation of EHR in their organizations.
As a physician, I’m excited and enthusiastic about the possibilities of using EHR. Since 2005, through Meaningful Use incentive program, electronic health record use has increased from less than 3% in 2006 to nearly 80% of physicians who now use EHRs according to the CMS
The main positive effect that EHR have had on the health care industry is a substantial improvement in the quality of care provided. Electronic health records allow for a more holistic evaluation and treatment plan for patients. Of course, there are some negative effects as well, such as security and privacy concerns.
The improvements in care delivery and coordination have greatly exceeded my expectations. EHR reduces errors, increases the efficiency of documentation and documentation review, helps the patient get to the right provider quicker and makes it easier for practitioners to find what they are looking for in order to improve care. Additional benefits are a decrease in duplicate medications, procedures and lab tests. Doctors’ visits are shorter (fewer questions about past medical history), this results in more time spent with the patient than on computer data entry—and minimizes interruptions on the patient’s part. The down side is physicians do not spend as much time with patients unless they are writing notes which become part of the medical record. The elimination of unsigned progress notes has decreased our productivity by 25%.
The adoption of the EHR provided our practice with a lot of benefits. One such benefit is the ability to track patient care more accurately over a longer period of time. This allows the physician to control and monitor patient care more effectively. The EHR also enables collaboration between physicians and providers, which means that positive patient outcomes can be achieved in a quicker manner.
question
One of the aspects of meaningful use is the implementation of the electronic health record (EHR). How has the EHR impacted your health care organization? What were the positives, and are there any negative issues with any aspects of EHR?