Decision of Uncertainty

Running head: Decision of Uncertainty

Decision of Uncertainty

Georgianna (Estep) Rovito

QNT HC561 Applies Business Research & Statistics in Health Care

February 13, 2012

Maureen Steinwall

Decision: To buy or not to buy new data system for electronic medical records

Technology changes often and health care technology is not different. Smith Medical Center (SMC) is still conducting medical chart as a paper file and billing electronically. There are 10 departments within the medical center. A medical record has been a process since the first recorded physician Imhotep in 2650 B.C. started seeing patients (Enotes, 2006). With security concern and patients privacy technology implements need to be put into place. The decision at this time is it a good time to purchase a program to conduct electronic records. In the future this will be a mandatory program, do we get a head of the game or wait until affordable.

Research

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) is longitudinal electronic record of the patient’s health information generated by one or more encounters in any health care delivery setting (HiMSS, 2012). A true question should be is it more cost effective to continue with paper records or to move toward EMR? Some of the direct cost to implement these system is recurring software (that requires a maintenance cost monthly), cost of the license renewals, the hardware (machines that facilitate the use of records and labor cost,) someone to install and maintain the system, and trainer to train the staff on how to use the new system (Ingram, 2012).

According to the data found from Ingram from a study published by the Partners Healthcare System in Boston is that an annual savings could be $86,400 for a health care provider. That number was determined based on a five year data that was compared operational cost under an electronic system verses a traditional paper-based record-keeping...