What is an EMR ?

What is an EMR ? 

An EMR (Electronic Medical Record) is simply a medical record stored in digital format that is suitable for electronic storage and archiving.  Over the years, the application of Information Technology (IT) has revolutionized how business is conducted in different industries as well as our daily lives.  A majority of different industries have embraced IT and benefited from boosts in productivity resulting from application of diverse systems.

As of 2008, the adoption of EMRs and other health information technology has been quite low  in the United States. About  10% of American hospitals have implemented health information technology, while no more than  20% of primary care physicians use EMRs.  The vast majority of healthcare transactions in the United States still take place on paper, a system that has remained unchanged since the 1950s. The healthcare industry spends only 2% of gross revenues on IT, which is meager compared to other information intensive industries such as finance, which spend upwards of 10%.

An EMR system aims to provide an array of modules or computer programs that seamlesly fit into the workflow of a typical medical practice.  These modules have access to vast amounts of computerized information which can facilitate decision making at point of service.  EMRs also have access to relational databases where patient data can be stored and retrieved quickly and efficiently.   

Electronic Medical Practice Workflow and EMR Components: