Current Trends in the Use of Electronic Healthcare Records Essay

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Information Technology Trends: Electronic Healthcare Records

Today, consumers in the United States enjoy a modern healthcare system that has benefited from numerous innovations in medical technology, including the introduction of electronic healthcare records in recent years. Electronic healthcare records facilitate timely access to critical patient information and provide a highly cost effective approach to healthcare management. To determine the facts, this paper reviews the literature to identify how this emerging innovative technology is impacting the healthcare industry in general and how its application can create value for healthcare providers in particular. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning electronic healthcare records and their implications for the healthcare industry are presented in the conclusion.

Review and Analysis

According to the definition provided by Albert (2013), electronic healthcare records (EHR) are digitized versions of a patient's medical history that are "maintained by the provider over time, and may include all key administrative clinical data relevant to that care, including demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data and radiology reports" (p. 395). The uptake of EHRs by healthcare providers has been promoted by various laws enacted in recent years that provide incentives for clinicians.

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For instance, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 authorized the payment of incentives to encourage physicians in private practice to implement EHR systems, and the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs likewise provide financial incentives for healthcare providers to increase their use of EHRs (Hsiao & Hing, 2014).

While every healthcare setting differs in some ways, the use of EHRs has been shown to provide a number of desirable outcomes that can benefit healthcare providers and consumers alike, including the following:

Reducing the number of medical errors by improving the accuracy and clarity of healthcare records;

Facilitating clinician access to healthcare information;

Eliminating duplication of tests;

Minimizing delays in treatment; and,

Improving patient autonomy by providing them with the information they need to make more informed decisions concerning their healthcare treatment and alternatives (Albert, 2013, p. 396).

Given these valuable outcomes, it is not surprising that growing number of healthcare providers of all types and sizes are implementing EHR systems of their own. For instance, according to a study by Hsiao and Hing (2014), the following key trends have been identified concerning the deployment of EHR systems by healthcare.....

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Latest APA Format (6th edition)

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"Current Trends In The Use Of Electronic Healthcare Records" (2015, October 18) Retrieved May 18, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/current-trends-use-electronic-healthcare-2155119

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"Current Trends In The Use Of Electronic Healthcare Records" 18 October 2015. Web.18 May. 2024. <
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"Current Trends In The Use Of Electronic Healthcare Records", 18 October 2015, Accessed.18 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/current-trends-use-electronic-healthcare-2155119
   

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