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Healthcare
The History Of Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
The Mayo Clinic first used electronic health records (EHRs) in the 1960s in Minnesota.
The healthcare systems realized the importance of using EHRs in healthcare delivery. Still, they
were expensive, so only government healthcare facilities would utilize them. In this regard, only
large hospitals used EHRs, as small ones could not afford them. In hospitals, electronic health
records were mainly used to bill patients after treatment and schedule appointments. However, as
time went by, electronic health records improved. In the 1970s, healthcare organizations used
them to keep essential patient information instead of using them for scheduling appointments and
billing only (Gu et al., 2019). Improved electronic health records could keep patients'
information, like their diagnosis and treatment plan, which the healthcare providers would use
later. As a result, the healthcare providers efficiently handled patients because they did not have
to record everything in their notebooks but would keep patients' information in the facility's
computers and refer to them when needed. The improved electronic health records gave rise to
the electronic medical records used in today's healthcare systems. Electronic health records were an effective collaboration tool between health care
providers because it enabled them to communicate patient information easily with each other.
For example, a nurse can send patient data to a psychiatrist without moving physically. If one
healthcare provider needed certain patients' data, they could access the information stored by
another physician; hence, the access to patient's information was simple and led to prompt
healthcare provision (Gu et al., 2019). In the 1990s, the cost of electronic health records
decreased, and many facilities could afford them, unlike earlier, when only big government
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hospitals could afford them. Any field that utilized clinical information utilized the electronic
health records, and they became affordable. When technological advancement took over the world in the 1990s, it was easier to use
electronic health records because healthcare facilities had access to the Internet. Transmission of
patient information from one physician to another electronically requires the Internet; hence,
technological advancement has made everything efficient. Electronic health records could store
more relevant patient information with the availability of the Internet. For example, physicians
could scan patients to take other tests, and then the computer could store Such information,
which was essential for healthcare provision. In 2009, the information technology president
developed a plan to ensure that all healthcare facilities in America had electronic health records,
which was successful (Lin et al., 2019). The new plan provided that healthcare providers could
collect patients' information and store it privately without access by unauthorized persons. The
plan also reduced hospital paperwork as healthcare providers used electronic health records to
keep patients' information, such as assessment, diagnosis, and treatment plans. In this regard,
there was no information the electronic health records would not capture; hence, physicians did
not have to record the information on paper. Nowadays, most healthcare facilities utilize
electronic health records, contributing to efficient healthcare delivery. How The EHRs Improve The Quality Of Clinical Care
Electronic health records improve the quality of clinical care because physicians can
access patient information in ways that enable them to deliver quality care. When a patient's
information is recorded in the electronic health tools, the tools can translate the data and allow
the physician to understand it better (Nordo et al., 2019). Some charts and graphs help the
physician translate patient information, which is impossible with paperwork. For example, when
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a physician records patients' weight and height, body mass index charts can classify the patient's
weight as normal, overweight, or obese, enabling the physician to offer the proper intervention.
Other charts that can be helpful in diagnosis and patient treatment include cholesterol and blood
sugar charts, among others.
Further, the electronic health record has relevant information that physicians can utilize
in patient management. Physicians cannot know everything; hence, with electronic health
records and an internet connection, they can search for relevant information that they can use to
manage different diseases (Nordo et al., 2019). Laboratory test data can be interpreted easily
using electronic health records, improving patient care quality. Most importantly, electronic
health records are essential for physicians who want to engage in clinical research to improve
patient health outcomes. When physicians engage in research, they will likely understand
different efficient ways of managing patients' conditions, which they can apply in their clinical
practice. Advantages and Disadvantages of EHRs
Electronic health records benefit patients by improving healthcare quality, enabling
physicians to collaborate and deliver quality and safe care, and ensuring that patient information
is secure. They are also efficient for healthcare providers because they have easy access to
patient information and do not have to keep a lot of paperwork, which might be tiring
(
Nordo et
al., 2019). However, electronic health records pose a challenge to data security because patient
information might be accessible to unauthorized people due to the possibility of computers being
hacked. In this regard, keeping patient privacy and confidentiality might be challenging and
require facilities to incur costs to secure patient data.
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Proposal
Given the advantages and disadvantages of electronic health records, our private clinic
will adopt the remotely hosted systems because they are affordable and fit the facility since it has
a few patients. The facility provides diagnostic services where patients can be assessed,
diagnosed, and treated. The three healthcare providers in the facility include a nurse practitioner,
a doctor, and a pediatrician, who work together to improve the patient's health. The facility has
inpatient and outpatient services and serves patients of all ages and genders. Selecting an HER
system can be challenging because one might not know which type is more efficient. Since the
facility is small, it might be difficult to determine the best EHR system because one has to
consider the cost and the effectiveness of use by a few physicians. The remotely hosted systems
will enable physicians to schedule patient appointments, bill patients, keep patient laboratory
information, and help prescribe medications for the patients (Kumar & iS, 2019). The EHR
system will enable physicians to interpret patient information and offer the proper treatment.
Further, patient information interpretation is also an essential function of the EHR, which helps
improve care provision. This EHR system can utilize the Drchrono software, which helps physicians schedule
patient appointments and billing and ensures an efficient workflow through the collaboration of
the healthcare providers. The physician can access medical charts and forms that can help them
translate patient information, thus improving the quality of patient care. Most importantly,
physicians can schedule their appointments with patients online, making it easier to access all the
patients. The remotely hosted systems will be efficient for this clinic because they are affordable
and offer physicians various services. This system will utilize the cloud-based EHR whereby the
physicians ensure that the patient information is safe in the vendor's server and no unauthorized
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person can tamper with it
(
Kumar & iS, 2019). The system is subsidized, and the clinic can pay
monthly or yearly. Through its vendor, this system will enable physicians to bill their patients,
schedule appointments, and store critical patient data like diagnostic and laboratory data. The
system allows physicians to collaborate effectively, especially when connected to the Internet, as
they can communicate and transmit relevant patient information without the paperwork (Kumar
& iS, 2019). The system will offer support from the vendors, especially when the physicians
experience platform challenges. The vendor will also train the physicians on how to use the
system and allow them to contact the vendor in case of any problem. The training costs will be
included in the subsidized pay, which the facility will pay monthly or yearly. Conclusion
The use of electronic health records in the healthcare system has increased over time, and
most healthcare facilities utilize them. Nowadays, physicians have less paperwork and can
retrieve patients' information anytime they want because systems are established to store patient
information. Electronic health records improve the quality of patient care because physicians
have access to relevant information that they can use to manage the patients' disorders.
Electronic health records also improve physician collaboration as different physicians can share
patients' information through the facility systems with internet access. However, when
implementing electronic health records, the facility should ensure patient information security by
installing data security tools to prevent hacking of patient information. Facilities can adopt
different EHR systems depending on their size, the services they provide, and what they want to
achieve. In this case, the facility will implement the remotely hosted systems and work under
DrChrono, which offers the services the fac
ility wants.
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References
Gu, D., Li, T., Wang, X., Yang, X., & Yu, Z. (2019). Visualizing the intellectual structure and
evolution of electronic health and telemedicine research.
International journal of medical
informatics
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, 103947. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2019.08.007
Kumar
C,
A.,
&
iS,
B.
(2019).
Cloud
Computing
Based
EHR.
https://deliverypdf.ssrn.com/delivery.php?
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610210509106711305703703101303106111409209202308611007407701505501300608
011601000609011111611009502404203609311712211800107108509706900900500707
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Lin, Y. K., Lin, M., & Chen, H. (2019). Do electronic health records affect the quality of care?
Evidence from the HITECH Act.
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https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2018.0813
Nordo, A. H., Levaux, H. P., Becnel, L. B., Galvez, J., Rao, P., Stem, K., ... & Kush, R. D.
(2019). Use of EHRs data for clinical research: historical progress and current
applications.
Learning health systems
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(1), e10076. https://doi.org/10.1002/lrh2.10076