EMR vs EHR - Understanding the Difference
Apples or Oranges, iOS or Android, and in the healthcare sector we have EHR or EMR. Electronic Health Records and Electronic Medical Records are two digital terms highly used in the healthcare realm. In fact, these terms are often used interchangeably but to be extremely precise, these two are different concepts and this is what we will be further discussing in the following post. So yes here you will learn about what are EMR and EHR, how are both the concepts beneficial in the long run and what is the difference between “electronic medical records” and “electronic health records” i.e. EMR vs EHR.
What is EMR?
Electronic Medical Records (EMR) are records that are entered electronically, stored, and maintained sincerely. Right from the patient’s registration to billing, preventive screenings, demographic information, checkups, patient appointments, easy diagnosis, notes, medication information, lab test results, allergy information, scheduling, tracking patient data over time, and so more.
Benefits of Electronic Medical Records
#1 Reduced Operational Costs
Of course, paper charts were pretty much in demand once but after the inception of technological advancements in the healthcare industry, they seem to be occupying too much space, and managing them manually was altogether a different task. Thanks to electronic medical records, things are pretty easy now and it seems to have reduced operation costs to a great extent.
#2 Enhances Patient care
The next benefit of considering electronic medical records is enhanced patient care. With patients receiving automatic on-time alerts and notifications, it becomes easy for them to focus on their health and wellness.
#3 Minimize data entry
As mentioned earlier, with the rise in electronic medical records the scope of paperwork has decreased to a great extent. So right from manually inputting the data to storing it in huge chunks of files is a quite tedious process that can severely lead to unwanted errors. Fortunately, electronic medical records can assist well in minimizing data entry and reducing errors significantly.
#4 Quick diagnosis and treatment
The next benefit offered by electronic medical records is quick diagnosis and treatments. Electronic medical records can surely assist in delivering the best possible outcomes for both doctors as well as patients.
#5 Promotes workflow optimization
Another interesting benefit offered by electronic medical records to healthcare organizations is they ensure seamless workflow optimization. Professionals can keep track of every move of their patients and manage every visit to the hospital.
#6 Offers preventive care
In fact, these electronic medical records can track patients who require urgent preventive care and treatments.
#7 Makes Communication effective
Electronic medical records support two-way communication, so it becomes easy for both healthcare professionals and patients to convey things to each other, be it regarding allergies, medications, or lab tests to be done, etc.
#8 Enhances Patients' security
Of course, security is a must-have feature or benefit in electronic medical records systems. Health-related information is pretty complicated and must be secured at any cost, especially in today’s threatful times where security breaches can happen every now and then.
#9 Easy to connect with other facilities
Last but certainly not the least, electronic medical records are way easier to connect with other facilities as well such as drugstores, clinical laboratories, and other hospital equipment.
It may quite interest you to know that the inception of EMRs began way back in the 1960s and if you see now, these technologies have come a long way in enhancing efficiency, safety and quality, reducing errors, improving public health and care coordination, maintaining high-end security and a lot more. Well, I can simply go on and on with EMRs, time to focus on the next healthcare-based technology, i.e. EHRs.
What is EHR?
Electronic Health Records are basically digital versions of a patient’s medical records which are stored safely in secured systems. Everything from a patient’s medical history to his or her allergies, lab results, reports, and medical prescriptions, everything is stored here.
Have you ever prepared a virtual bookshelf? Electronic medical records are pretty much similar they can be accessed by patients as well as their respective healthcare professionals. Further below I would like to mention the crucial benefits of EHR systems.
Benefits of EHR Systems
Enhanced Quality of Care
The first benefit is enhanced quality of care. Yes with the rise in EHR systems, healthcare providers cannot just make more informed decisions but tend to improve quality of care to a great extent. You see now the scope of medical conflicts has been reduced, in case of emergency seamless care is possible, and all the safety risks are illuminated.
Increased productivity and efficiency
Electronic health records have the potential to enhance productivity and efficiency to a great extent. This is one of the most notable benefits offered by EHR systems worldwide. Every tedious and tiresome procedure are addressed manually for example, appointment scheduling is done automatically which definitely reduces the scope of double booking. In addition to that, EHRs also tend to reduce the chances of missed or delayed payments by automatically generating and sending bills to the patients and ensure that there are no duplicate charges, incorrect billing codes, etc.
Proper Patient engagement
Another interesting benefit offered by electronic health records is proper patient management. You see such technological advancements tend to foster a collaborative environment between patients as well as their healthcare providers very well. After the inception of electronic health records, patients seem to have more of say and are actively engaged in the healthcare realm. This is beneficial for both healthcare professionals as well as their valued patients.
Reduces medical errors
The next advantage offered by EHR systems are reduction of medical errors. One small error can cost life so in this industry, errors are absolutely forbidden. Fortunately, electronic health record systems tend to reduce medical errors such as stopping doctors from prescribing wrong medications. In fact, medical errors can be expensive to the medical industry as well so here EHRs tend to prescribe medications automatically keeping all the medical history, current allergies and current scenarios in mind.
Enhanced data security
The next benefit offered by EHR systems is enhanced security. Today information is quite valuable and health-related information is insanely valuable and protecting it is a must. With the inception of the practice of HIPAA Compliance, health records are sincerely protected. Most of the EHR companies are highly compliant with IDC9/10, CPT and other EHR standards that offer the highest security.
Cost Effective
EHR systems are pretty cost-effective since all the expenses related to paperwork have been decreased to a great extent. So all the expenditure of printing, storage, and transcription services have been thoroughly eliminated. Also, from the patient's point of view, lower healthcare expenses, reduced administrative fees, and more affordable services like never before.
Better Coordination
Lastly, by implementing such situations, healthcare organizations are now able to do better and coordinate within themselves and even with their valuable patients. Since these systems are quite transparent and well-managed, all the monotonous and tedious tasks can be handled seamlessly.
Factors | EHR | EMR |
Define | Digital record featuring patient’s health information | A digital version of the chart |
Sharing | Easy sharing with providers and labs | Cannot be shared outside the organization |
Acessibility | Easy accessibility for quick decision-making | Mainly used for diagnosing and treatment |
Conclusion
So which one is better? You decide, well as per my perception, I think both systems are equally important and needed in the ever-changing healthcare scenario. EMR and EHR cannot simply facilitate more procedures but also ensure an adequate amount of relief for both professionals as well as patients.