Why EHRs are Essential for Patients and Healthcare Providers

Physicians and other health care providers are overworked. The number of patients seen daily has grown dramatically in recent years. In fact, according to a 2012 survey by The Physicians Foundation, 40.7% of American physicians see over 20 patients a day. Such a large caseload presents many opportunities for errors, miscommunication, and omissions. Electronic health records (EHRs) can provide a solution for these issues. What are EHRs? Simply put, EHRs are health records in a digital format. They usually contain all the data of a traditional paper chart plus billing information, imaging and records across different institutions. EHRs allow instant centralized and secure access to patient data. Some of the benefits of EHRs are described below. Space Saving One of the main benefits of EHRs for healthcare providers is the physical space they save. An established doctor’s office traditionally has rows and rows of patient files. On average, those files are stored for 10 years, even for inactive patients. This takes up large amounts of space that could otherwise be utilized. Speedy Access Anytime a doctor needs to work on a case, a nurse or secretary has to find and pull the patient’s chart. Since this usually happens dozens of times a day, the time spent can rapidly add up. EHRs eliminate this issue by using a simple interface. Patient data is pulled up almost instantaneously simply by typing a name, medical record number, or date of birth, allowing office staff to atten...
Source: ePharma Summit - Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Digital Health eHealth EHR EHR systems Electronic health records Electronic Medical Records ePatient healthcare providers patients' data primary care Primary care doctors Source Type: blogs