Link to Article: https://hbr.org/2017/10/how-the-emr-is-increasing-innovation-and-creativity-in-health-care
This past summer, I had the privilege of interning with the Johns Hopkins University. Throughout this internship, I worked in the information technology department supporting the massive electronic medical record system known as Epic. The the Johns Hopkins hospital system runs off of Epic and relies on this system for patient health records, prescription and medical equipment orders, billing, and many more things. Although complex by nature, I quickly learned why an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system is necessary for modern day healthcare providers. The article I am responding to highlights the various benefits that EMR has brought to the healthcare industry. Some of these benefits I was already aware of because of my summer internship, and some of these benefits genuinely shocked me. The article first discusses the benefit EMRs have given the healthcare industry in terms of keeping patients safe. In the past, when everything was done with pen and paper, illegible handwriting often lead to wrong doses of prescriptions being ordered for patients, putting them at risk for overdoses. With the implementation of EMR systems, these orders are now done through a computer, with checkboxes that offer only correct medication doses. While I was not surprised by this specific benefit that EMRs bring to modern day healthcare, I was shocked to learn that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. This only further highlights the need for EMRs in the healthcare industry that help reduce the errors that medical personnel can make through poor handwriting. What most surprised me about this article was how EMR systems are actually reducing the costs incurred by healthcare organizations. According to the article, healthcare organizations have been providing inappropriate care to patients whose conditions didn’t warrant such care. For example: a patient would come in with a headache and would immediately receive an expensive MRI or CT study. EMRs now have built in evidence based checklists to determine if a patient really needs something like an MRI or CT study. If the patient doesn’t meet the necessary criteria for the test, the EMR system doesn’t allow the test to take place, thus saving the healthcare provider massive amounts of money. While I am very familiar with electronic medical records, and understand the need for them in the healthcare industry, I was surprised by the various benefits this article brought to light about EMRs. As technology advances, so will EMRs, creating a more efficient, error-free healthcare system in the United States. (Surprise) Comments are closed.
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AuthorChristopher Silverwood ArchivesCategories |