EMR/EHR

Electronic medical records (EMR) are a digital version of a patient’s chart that store their personal information, medical history and links to prior exams, texts and reports. The goal of these systems is to enable immediate access to the patient's data electronically, rather than needing to request paper file folders that might be stored in fragment files at numerous locations where a patient is seen or treated. EMRs (also called electronic health records, or EHR) improve clinician and health system efficiency by making all this data immediately available. This helps reduce repeat tests, repeat prescriptions and repeat imaging exams because reports, imaging or other patient data is not not immediately available. 

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AHRQ report addresses EHR needs for pediatrics

Pediatric EHRs need special features not found in systems used for adults, according to a report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

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HIT Policy Committee gets new members

The Health IT Policy Committee is getting three new members.

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CHIME members respond to Stage 3 requirements

With the proposed rule for Meaningful Use Stage 3, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) aims to provide a flexible, clear framework to simplify the program and reduce provider burden, said Elizabeth Holland, director of CMS’ Health IT Initiatives Group, speaking during a webinar presented by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). 

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Survey: Most nurses say EHRs improve patient safety

A survey of nurses on their view of health IT found that the majority agree digitized records improve patient safety, make it easier to find comprehensive patient information and enhance collaboration with clinicians inside their organizations. 

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AMA's Steven Stack: Physicians are 'excited about change'

BOSTON—New payment delivery models are “this generation’s opportunity,” said American Medical Association President-Elect Steven Stack, MD, speaking at Medical Informatics World 2015.

Epic, Mayo Clinic to tap IBM Watson's supercomputer

IBM Watson Health, Epic and Mayo Clinic are collaborating to advance patient health by applying the cognitive computing capabilities of Watson to EHRs. 

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Study finds EHRs made no difference in stroke outcomes

Ischemic stroke patients at hospitals with EHR systems did not have better illness progression or care quality than similar patients at hospitals without EHRs, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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Brailer on health information ownership: Give it to patients

It's time to update health information policy and privacy rules, wrote former national coordinator for health IT David Brailer, MD, PhD, in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal. 

Around the web

U.S. health systems are increasingly leveraging digital health to conduct their operations, but how health systems are using digital health in their strategies can vary widely.

When human counselors are unavailable to provide work-based wellness coaching, robots can substitute—as long as the workers are comfortable with emerging technologies and the machines aren’t overly humanlike.

A vendor that supplies EHR software to public health agencies is partnering with a health-tech startup in the cloud-communications space to equip state and local governments for managing their response to the COVID-19 crisis.