Disadvantages Of EHR Essay

III. ADVANTAGES IN USING THE EHR
List the advantages in implementing the EHR using bullet points and write a paragraph for each of them.
Identify any four critical advantages the EHR would provide to the practice.
The advantages of implementing an EHR system are:
• Information Access
• Data Organization
• Claims Processing Efficiency
• Performance Monitoring
The access to information can be very beneficial in an EHR system. With all the patient medical files being integrated within the EHR, the physician will find it convenient when seeing numerous patients. They will access to these files whenever and wherever they are needed to make effective decisions for the patient. Better access to information also allows better communication amongst the providers.
Data organization is

very helpful in an EHR system, especially because there is loads of data to be stored. The EHR keeps basic patient data in a central place, where all files can be swiftly accessed and entered one time only. With one quick name search, the practice can find a patient file without the added stress of sorting through numerous paper files.
Claims processing efficiency allows easy access to electronic clinical data. Easy access to these files results in “the process of gathering and providing documentation for claims purposes” [3]. If any complications arise, the practice will be able to access their electronic clinical files immediately, with better accuracy and efficiency.
An EHR improves performance monitoring in a practice. Each individual provider has a profile that monitors their performance. This monitoring helps improve patient quality within the practice. It also highlights the areas providers need more educational training in. Knowing their weakness can benefit the providers and ultimately the patients.
A. Meaningful Use
Meaningful use encourages healthcare providers to utilize EHR systems to improve overall quality of healthcare, while incorporating patients and their families. There are 3 stages of meaningful use that an EHR system can satisfy. The first stage is the foundation of meaningful use, focusing on making all data files electronic and sharing basic information. A family medicine practice EHR would satisfy this requirement by utilizing CPOE and providing patients with electronic copies of their health information. Physicians will also have the luxury of electronically entering orders or instructions without the bother of paper charts.
Stage 2 of meaningful use focuses on the advancement of clinical processes within the EHR, such as. Continuing to add clinical processes allows a wider range of EHR usage amongst healthcare organizations and their “respective patient populations” [3]. Stage 3 is the final stage of meaningful use, with a goal to improve outcomes.
IV. INTEROPERABILITY
Interoperability in healthcare is the ability of individual healthcare systems to communicate and share patient medical information electronically in a sufficient period of time to another healthcare system for specific usage. This is possible by the help of the Continuity of Care Record, or CCR. The CCR sets the standards for the electronic sharing of patient data between healthcare organizations. One specific standard of CCR requires all patient data to be put in a format readable for all EHR medical systems. With this in effect, patient records would be well defined, easily accessible, and easy to retrieve amongst different providers.
With the usage of interoperability come challenges.

The accuracy of matching patient records becomes troublesome when looking at their demographics. “Different systems use different demographic information to match individuals to their health records,” thus it can cause a staff member to identify the wrong patient [4]. Furthermore, since state privacy rules vary, complications can arise when trying to share patient data from one state to another. Unreasonable high “system costs and legal fees can deter providers” from fully achieving interoperability also [4]. To participate in interoperability some EHR systems require multiple applications, which need financial funding to happen.
A. Health Information Exchange
EHR systems would work with a Health Information Exchange, by providing a smooth transfer of medical information between unrelated organizations. With the records being in electronic form, seeing a patient should be less strenuous. The advantages of effective HIEs eliminate redundant testing of patients for the same issues. This elimination alone helps reduce health care costs. Also, HIEs motivates patients to be more active in their own healthcare, while encouraging consumer

education.