This paper examines the rise of electronic health records (EHRs) in the United States healthcare system, reviewing the literature to assess their impact on healthcare providers and patients. Drawing on studies from the CDC and peer-reviewed journals, the paper defines EHRs, outlines the policy frameworks — including the HITECH Act of 2009 and Medicare/Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs — that have accelerated adoption, and documents key adoption trends between 2001 and 2013. The paper also identifies the primary benefits of EHRs, such as reducing medical errors, improving clinician access to information, and enhancing patient autonomy, while acknowledging the ongoing documentation burden placed on clinical staff.
Today, consumers in the United States enjoy a modern healthcare system that has benefited from numerous innovations in medical technology, including the introduction of electronic health records in recent years. Electronic health records (EHRs) facilitate timely access to critical patient information and provide a highly cost-effective approach to healthcare management. To determine the scope of this impact, this paper reviews the literature to identify how this emerging technology is affecting the healthcare industry in general and how its application can create value for healthcare providers in particular. A summary of the research and important findings concerning EHRs and their implications for the healthcare industry are presented in the conclusion.
According to Albert (2013), electronic health records are digitized versions of a patient's medical history that are "maintained by the provider over time, and may include all key administrative clinical data relevant to that care, including demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data and radiology reports" (p. 395). This broad scope makes EHRs a comprehensive alternative to traditional paper-based recordkeeping, centralizing patient information in a format that is accessible, searchable, and shareable across care settings.
The uptake of EHRs by healthcare providers has been promoted by various laws enacted in recent years that provide incentives for clinicians. For instance, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 authorized the payment of incentives to encourage physicians in private practice to implement EHR systems. Similarly, the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provide financial incentives for healthcare providers to increase their use of EHRs (Hsiao & Hing, 2014). Together, these legislative frameworks have played a significant role in accelerating adoption across provider types and practice sizes.
While every healthcare setting differs in some ways, the use of EHRs has been shown to produce a number of desirable outcomes that benefit both healthcare providers and consumers. According to Albert (2013, p. 396), these outcomes include:
Given these valuable outcomes, it is not surprising that a growing number of healthcare providers of all types and sizes are implementing EHR systems of their own.
According to a study by Hsiao and Hing (2014), the following key trends have been identified concerning the deployment of EHR systems by healthcare providers in the United States in recent years:
"Time clinicians spend on EHR documentation"
The research showed that electronic health records are digitized versions of traditional paper records used to track patients' healthcare data, including demographics, progress notes, medical problems, prescribed medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data, and radiology reports. The research also showed that the use of EHRs has increased dramatically over the past decade due to the numerous advantages these systems provide. Policy incentives such as the HITECH Act and Medicare/Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs have been instrumental in driving adoption. If current trends continue, the use of EHRs will be virtually ubiquitous well into the coming decade, fundamentally reshaping how patient information is managed across the health information technology landscape.
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