Week 1

A collection of more extensive patient medical information from multiple health care providers, EHR adheres to national standards and can be accessed by multiple sanctioned staff from different organizations. EHR increases organizational efficiency by reducing medical errors, improves care coordination among health care staff, and improves privacy protection thereby reducing costs. EHR can prove difficult in areas such as security maintenance, hardware and software upkeep, and initial investment. Despite the challenges, electronic health records comply with and adhere to national HIPAA guidelines.

Electronic health records help improve the quality of care a provider gives his or her patient by simplifying clinical and administrative processes and increasing the accuracy of diagnosing and treating patients. EHR is cost effective and requires fewer staff to process through the workflow efficiently. Billing, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and other administrative tasks are easy to complete; many require a few keystrokes which saves time. Office scheduling software often accompanies EHR, another time-saving benefit. Physicians can spend more time providing patient care and assessment than competing chart notes and documentation by hand. EHR is easily accessed by physicians from different locations.

Some disadvantages include an organization or provider’s ability to consistently protect and secure patient PHI and organization security and confidentiality. Outside hackers, virus’, and internal employees can – and do – compromise the integrity of EHR security. Hardware and software upgrades and updates can be costly even when amortized over time. Initial investment in adopting and deploying an EHR system and converting “hard” charts into echarts can cost monetarily and in overhead costs to pay staff to input or scan data and categorize the documents accurately. However, the advantages of electronic health records outweigh the difficulties.

There are several...