Why EHR over EMR

WHY EHR OVER EMR ?

EMR :

In an era when time ticks faster than ever, speed and information at the touch of a button is a necessity. The current mode of health-information storage is an EMR[Electronic Medical Record] which is a computerized data repository created in an organization that delivers health care, such as a hospital or clinic. EMR allows storage, retrieval and manipulation of records. Of the one-quarter office-based physicians in the United States who use EMR, only less than 10% have a complete EMR system that includes all 4 basic functions; ie, computerized orders for prescriptions, computerized orders for tests, reporting of test results, and physician notes.

EHR and all about it :

The dawn of a new-era is here. With the advent of EHR [Electronic Health Record], the accuracy of transcribed reports are going to reach new levels. EHR has an advantage over EMR, as in being an aggregate of electronic records of health-information accumulated over time; the information being able to be transferred and accessed within the health care organization. These records would provide all the relevant medical history, medication and allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images and billing status information of an individual or population, which would in turn enhance patient - treatment and care. Not to mention avoiding the hassle of safe-keeping papers and reports, ensuring easy storage and retrieval of health records at any given time. An added advantage is that, information can be shared and updated among attending practitioners and health organizations with ease. EHR is bound to become one of the means of taking medical transcription services to new heights.

Legal Safety :

Data safety of these health records are protected by the data protection legislation. Based on laws and ethics, an EHR is generated and maintained only by the creator and custodian of the record, such as a health care practice or facility. The physical medical records remain as the property of the medical provider and cannot be tampered with in anyway. However, according to HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act], the patient owns the information and content of the records, and is legally allowed to view the originals and obtain copies of the same.

How soon ?

It has been officially declared that all doctors and other health care practitioners have to use CCHIT [Certification Commission for Health Information Technology] certified EHR by the year 2011. Those who do not comply will be penalized and those who switch at the earliest will be recognized with incentives, etc. The latest statistics regarding the adoption and use of Electronic Health Records are based on the government-sponsored survey report published by the New England Journal of Medicine. It reports that only 9% of medical practices with less than 3 physicians have switched to EHR. On the other hand, practices with 50 or more physicians have shown a 50% EHR-usage. Medical Transcription Companies will be able to provide fuller, more detailed and organized longitudinal reports of patients, which can remain as long-term documents that can be produced and referred to whenever the need arises.



SpectraMedi and you :

SpectraMedi is a US based Medical Transcription Company, founded in 1999. A decade into the business has resulted in acquiring over 400 trusted clients. We cater to the needs of various health care organizations and professionals, by providing efficient medical transcription services. The emergence of EHR has brought with it the opportunity of delivering medically transcribed reports at a faster rate and almost 100% error-free reports, that can be accessed with ease. SpectraMedi plans on supplying the means of generating CCHIT-certified Electronic Health Records [EHR] to health professionals, hospitals and clinics through its medical transcription sector in the near future. This is certain to ensure a steady workflow and a quicker achievement of targets owing to the easier and superiorly organized arrangement and storage of data. Our team of medical transcriptionists will efficiently transcribe and upload the data in a short span of time. The future of medical transcription services is going to be electronically brighter and better.