Increasing Accuracy in Medical Records Through EHR

Business Posts (1) Finance Balance Sheet ASSETS Non-current assets $30,000 Equipment $30,000 Current assets $170,000 Inventory $20,000 Accounts receivable $100,000 Cash $50,000 TOTAL ASSETS $200,000 LIABILITIES Accounts payable $12,000 Payroll $10,000 Rent $5,000 Utilities $2,500 $29,500 Owner's equity $170,500 $170,500 TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABIULITIES $200,000 (2) Discussion topic: Technology and Tools Strengths Weaknesses Lower start-up costs. Fewer issues with maintenance of hardware. More resources including personnel and sophisticated procedures for security and backup of the patient information. More ongoing expense over the long-term. Subject to interruptions to the Internet, which restricts access to the EMR data.

The clinical information may be stored along with data from other practices. Opportunities Threats Enhanced patient safety with respect to drug allergies or interactions and proper dosage. Enhanced documentation with access to digital imaging and special testing. Better integration between the clinic and the business department. Although somewhat remote, a vendor providing web-based EMR services could go out of business, making back-up systems and disaster planning imperative. The costs attributable to the EMR systems vary depending on whether the systems are in-house or web-based off-site.

Planning of the EMR implementation will focus on intelligence-based system rather than simply a transaction-based system. From the outset, the EMR system needs to be able to leverage big data, support smart processes, and make recommendations based on the care contexts. John Glaser, PhD., is currently the CEO of the Health Services Business for Siemens Healthcare, and prior to that, he served as Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Partners HealthCare. What this means is that Glaser has the perspective of both a vendor and a care provider. Dr.

Glasser recently published an article in Hospitals & Health Networks about the transaction-focused rigidity of EMRs. Glaser argues that this is to be expected since the basis for EMR coding is activities such as writing a prescription for medications or documenting an office visit. Research is needed to develop templates, order sets, and guidelines that reflect evidence-based practice and best practices.

The research and development processes will need to build an infrastructure that manages processes with supports such as transaction checks for drug-drug interactions, basic process monitoring and guidance, and even asynchronous alert systems such.