Ehr and the Va

Health Information Systems I

Week 3 Assignment

What is an EHR, and how is the VA using EHR for care delivery?

EHR stands for Electronic Health Record and is a computerized medical record for an individual that is shared among multiple facilities and agencies. It provides secure, reliable, real-time access to patient health record information where and when it is needed to support care.

The VA is using EHR to organize patient’s records in order to provide faster and better treatment for all of its patients. The use of EHR allows the medical staff to clearly see all of the problems a patient is having. This also allows the medical staff to clearly see all of the medications, tests, surgeries, and reports for a particular patient exactly when they need to. Having this information when it is needed is saving the VA valuable time and money when caring for a patient. For example, if a patient has already had an expensive test done, the EHR will show this and the doctor(s) will see it as well as the results. Another fact I think is important is the problem with prescriptions. Many times a patient will be prescribed a new drug that has side effects when taken with a drug they are already on. The EHR clearly shows the medications the patient is taking, which helps to avoid this problem.

The use of the EHR also allows for other hospitals to view a patient’s records. This can save a lot of time, and possibly the patient’s life, when the patient goes to a different hospital. This can happen if the patient moves, or goes on a vacation. The new doctor(s) can access the EHR and see the patient’s history. This fact can help doctors when seeing a new patient for the first time because they have access to all of the same information that their original doctor has. With this information, the new doctor can make a quick diagnosis and update the EHR to keep it current.

In conclusion, the EHR is a valuable tool for both the patient and the doctor. The...