More attention has been devoted to improving health information technology to improve quality and safety.
Individuals are becoming more involved in their own health care through personal health records (PHRs). This type of system will present the information in a usable format that the user can control. There are two types of models; a standalone agent which is updated by the patent and an integrated one with a networked PHR that includes information from a variety of sources.
Electronic Medical records are used by Health Care providers and are stored on the hospital or health delivery system. The standards on the system conform to the organization's needs. Using a system patient specific services can be recommended, physician reminders created, and communication between Physicians.
Electronic Health records (EHRs) are like EMRs, but they can link data from other providers for a more detailed view. This record type is more interactive. If EMRs and EHRs can exchange data, they are considered interoperable. However, because there is no standard, uniformity is a major issue in the advancement of the systems. An example of an EMR is a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) can increase efficiency by ordering various services. An example is E-prescribing. However even in this service, there is a difference in feature implementation.
There's also a concern about Data Security and inappropriate access. HIPAA requires that Electronic Health transactions be standardized. Few hospitals have a fully implemented system. Cost is a huge barrier to the implementation of the systems but they can save billions per year. The federal Veterans Administration and the private Kaiser Permanente has already implemented a system.
