Devices Assisting With Electronic Health Records and Personal Health Records
An electronic health record is a collection of an individual’s healthcare documentation that is electronic at a medical facility. Just like the electronic health record, the personal health record is a collection of documentation, but it is kept privately with the individual and can be either electronic or paper-based. There are several types of medical devices that can sync up with an electronic health record or electronic personal health record to assist in their collection. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, continuous glucose monitors and weight scales are just three of these devices. With all these devices, there are specific functions, purposes, synchronization
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This device is surgically placed in the body and connects to an individual’s heart by leads. It corrects abnormal heart rhythms when they are detected. The ICD is usually implanted in those patients that have a risk of death due to sudden cardiac death (Heart Disease Health Center, Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Topic Overview). It can “transmit diagnostic, therapeutic and technical data” to a communicator right in the patient’s home. Physicians can monitor their patients with this information from anywhere in the world. BIOTRONIK is one company that makes an ICD. This company offers this and a communicator called a Cardio Messenger.
This communicator uses cellular networks to send the information to the BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring Service Center. Here, the information is gathered and monitored. In the case of immediate need, the physician is notified right away. Otherwise, the information is put into the patient’s chart once BIOTRONIK faxes the information (About Home Monitoring). This system, as of the year 2008, can cost up to $7000 just for the device alone and depending on the individuals health insurance coverage some or all the costs are covered (Robinson and
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These measure the sugar (glucose) in the blood. This is a useful tool for diabetic patients (Blood Glucose Monitoring Devices). Dexcom offers a CGM that will easily sync up to the Apple Cloud. They also sell the Dexcom SHARE where the individual can dock their CGM to this device and it will send info to the Cloud as well as their software called Dexcom Studio. At this software, the information from continuous monitoring is stored and put into several charts and graphs to easily see what has happened throughout the day (Dexcom SHARE). Cost is unknown on their website, as one needs to set up an account to view it (Dexcom G4 Platinum). Amazon is showing the CGM available at $400 (DEXCOM G4 PLATINUM). Luckily, depending on the individuals insurance coverage, these items may be covered and take away some of the financial burden (CGM Insurance Coverage). Medicare, though, does not cover this particular system (Your Medicare
For years now, the healthcare system in the United States have managed patient’s health records through paper charting, this has since changed for the better with the introduction of an electronic medical record (EMR) system. This type of system has helped healthcare providers, hospitals and other ambulatory institutions extract data from a patient’s chart to help expedite clinical diagnosis and providing necessary care. Although this form of technology shows great promise, studies have shown that this system is just a foundation to the next evolution of health technology. The transformation of EMR to electronic heath record system (EHR) is the ultimate goal of the federal government.
Providers are faced with having to weigh the expense of investing in telehealth technologies with the ability to generate enough revenue to cover these costs. This is often difficult as expenses in the literature can cover those directly linked with the delivery of care (healthcare costs) and those that are not directly related to providing care (non-heath care costs) (Bergmo, 2009). Some of the healthcare costs a practitioner must consider are items such as computers, video cameras, microphones, modems, routers, software and other components such as specialized stethoscopes and imaging equipment needed to assess an individual patient. The cost of these items can add up quickly. As one study estimates, the capital expenditure for the implementation of telehealth video conferencing can reach as much as $80,000. The cost of transmitting data in order to deliver these services can also reach $800-$2000 per month in spoke and hub type telehealth systems (Gamble, Savage, & Icenogle, 2004). These costs incur even more ...
Implantable glucose monitor with insulin pumps- This technology involves an implant of the glucose monitor in the body and continuously draws blood from one of the veins to take the blood glucose readings. The development of this technology began around the same time as non-invasive glucose monitoring. In the recent years, implantable blood glucose monitors have been combined with insulin pumps forming a feedback loop to automatically control the blood glucose levels in the body.
Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a digital collection of patient health information instead of paper chart that captures data at the point of collection, supports clinical decision-making and integrates data from multiple sources in any care delivery settings. The health record includes patient’s demographics, progress notes, past medical history, vital signs, medications, immunizations, laboratory data and radiology reports. National Alliance for the Health Information Technology defines EHR as, “ an electronic record of health-related information on an individual that conforms to nationally recognized interoperability standards and that can be created, managed, and consulted by authorized clinicians and staff across more
According to the National Alliance for Health Information Technology (2008) and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) (2012), the personal health record (PHR) is defined as the individual lifelong electronic health records. Its features are electronic, readily available, personal control, standardization, resource sharing, and portability. Although the PCEHR is currently being implemented in several countries of the world, it still has many controversial disadvantages. Hoy, Yoshihashi, & Bailey, 2012) mention that some of the ideal functions of PHR, include patient controlled, longitudinal record, interoperable and resource sharing, portability, automated input of clinical reports, as well as the integration of clinician workflow. "The PCEHR is aimed to be a secure electronic summary of people's medical history stored and shared in a network of connected systems from a central electronic hub (Australian Nursing Journal, Aug. 2012; Kerai, Wood, &Martin, March 2014)”. The Australian Government has clear legal provisions on PCEHR implementation, including the conditions of participation, target participants, methods and procedures of registration, informed consent, security requirements, penalties for violation of privacy and mitigation strategies (Australian Nursing Journal, Aug. 2012; Australia Government ComLaw, 2012; Williams, 2013; Wilson, 2012). However, The Australian (2013, September 17) notes that the Australia government has invested 1 billion on the project, but only 0.6% of people actually using this program registered at about 65 million electronic health record conditions.
With this newer technology Physicians, nurses, and other approved medical staff have the option to monitor their patient’s heart functionality, and fix pacemaker electrical signals to fit patients need from a mobile device, without ever bringing the patient into the Physicians’ office. Cardiac remote patient monitoring uses smart phones, and specific designed (secured) e-mails to deliver information sent from the device implanted within the patient’s heart. This allows medical staff to receive pertinent up-to date- information on the condition of the patient’s pacemaker, and heart. This can help create profound patient care, early critical heart failure, or heart defibrillation detection; while adding to medical staff’s proficiency, and cutting costly emergency room visits with prevention detection ("Remote Monitoring Technology Improves Pacemaker Performance", 2012).
This paper will identify the use of Electronic Health Records and how nursing plays an important role. Emerging in the early 2000’s, utilizing Electronic Health Records have quickly become a part of normal practice. An EHR could help prevent dangerous medical mistakes, decrease in medical costs, and an overall improvement in medical care. Patients are often taking multiple medications, forget to mention important procedures/diagnoses to providers, and at times fail to follow up with providers. Maintaining an EHR could help tack data, identify patients who are due for preventative screenings and visits, monitor VS, & improve overall quality of care in a practice. Nurse informaticists play an important role in the adaptation, utilization, and functionality of an EHR. The impact the EHR could have on a general population is invaluable; therefore, it needs special attention from a trained professional.
Tan & Payton (2010) describe the electronic health record (EHR), which dates back to the 1950s. These computer-based patient records have evolved into complex systems with many capabilities. They were designed to provide healthcare professionals with a comprehensive picture of a patient’s health status at any time and are meant to automate and streamline the workflow of the healthcare professional (Tan & Payton,
We can look at the patient’s allergies, their vital signs, and even their most recent weight which is important when we have a patient with Congested Heart Failure. Being able to share a patient’s medical record and all their health care encounters is so vital in the complete care of a patient. Being able to assess a patient’s medical record electronically is also important when it comes to prescribing medications because it can alert the provider to potential conflicts with other medications that the patient has been prescribed. And if a patient comes into the emergency room unconscious from an accident, the provider can still look up the patient and adjust care as needed. The electronic medical record is important in the transition of care of a patient from one provider to another. For example, when a patient is hospitalized and then discharged, they are asked to follow up with their primary care doctor within two weeks. With the provider being able to consider the patient’s electronic medical record they can see what care the patient received while they were hospitalized and vice versa, the emergency room provider is also able to consider the patient’s electronic medical record to see the care plan for the patient and the care the patient has been receiving from their primary care provider. According to HealthIT, Electronic Medical Records can reveal potential safety problems when they occur, helping providers avoid more serious consequences for patients and leading to better patient outcomes. Electronical Medical Records can help providers quickly and systematically identify and correct operational problems. In a paper-based setting, identifying such problems is much more difficult, and correcting them can take
In the 2004 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush stated “within the next 10 years, Electronic Health Records (EHRs) will ensure that complete health care information is available for most Americans at the time and place of care (U.S. Government)”. In order to encourage the widespread implementation of EHRs and to overcome the financial barrier to doing so, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 set aside $27 billion in incentives to be distributed over a ten-year period for hospitals and healthcare providers to adopt the meaningful use of EHRs (Encinosa, 2013). In 2011, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) implemented the Meaningful Use (MU) Incentive Program. In order to qualify for incentive payments under MU, providers must attest to meeting specific quality measures thresholds each year consisting of three stages with increasing requirement at each stage.
The Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and strategic ways patients can be engaged in their health decision-making
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH Act), which was passed as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, has fostered significant progress in the adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in various clinical settings, particularly through the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs and its focus on EHR adoption in Stage 1 Meaningful Use (CITATION gov). For instance, as a result of the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, the percentage of office based physicians who have adopted an EHR system dramatically rose from 18.2% in 2001 to a staggering 78.4% in 2013 (CITATION phys data). Additionally, as of July 2013, 67% of hospitals achieved Stage 1 Meaningful Use and an additional 16% were paid for adopting EHRs (CITATION hosp data).
Over the past decade, technological advances have paved the way for nurses to provide, quality, safe, standardized and individualized patient care (Saba & McCormick, 2015). The use of the Electronic Health Records (EHR) to manage patient data is quickly becoming widespread in the healthcare industry. The emerging use of the Electronic Health Record, is transforming how nurses care for patients. By creating and implementing an electronic, comprehensive, standardized method of recording patient data, nurses can facilitate and coordinate patient care with members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team. The use of the Electronic Health Record will promote positive
EHR Research Paper The electronic health record (EHR) is a simultaneous patient-centered record that allows data to be accessible instantaneously and encrypted for sanctioned users (HealthIT.gov, 2013). The EHR encompasses medical history, demographics, medications, allergies, care plans, immunization records, radiology images, lab orders, and test results (HealthIT.gov, 2013). The EHR system also provides health care providers with evidence-based tools to assist with making decisions regarding patient care and provides a modernized systematic workflow (HealthIT.gov, 2013). Factors that typically influence the adoption of EHR systems include the establishment of HITECH (Federal government policy) to achieve meaningful use, Medicaid & Medicare
Ragavan, V. (2012, August 27). Medical Records Pals Malaysia : 17 Posibble Reasons How Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Might Support Day-to-Day Patient Care. Retrieved from Medical Records Pals Malaysia: http://mrpalsmy.wordpress.com/category/emr/