It's essential to understand the difference between EHR (Electronic Health Record) and EMR (Electronic Medical Record) in healthcare. While both EMR and EHR store patient health information digitally, EHRs typically encompass a broader range of health data and are interoperable across different healthcare settings. There are many other critical differences between EMR and EHR which can impact patient care and cost of delivering it.
Let us start by understanding the definition of both these terms independently.
What is the Definition of an Electronic Medical Record (EMR)?
An Electronic Medical Record is a digitized version of a patient's medical information maintained by a single healthcare provider designed to enhancing the quality and continuity of patient care delivery.
Electronic Medical Records contain a wealth of information, such as patient demographics, progress notes, medical problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data, and radiology reports. They are stored electronically on secure servers, allowing providers to track patient data over time, identify patients for preventive visits and screenings, make better treatment decisions, and improve overall healthcare quality.
However, it is important to note that Electronic Medical Records can be created, gathered, managed, and consulted only by authorized clinicians and staff within one healthcare organization. This ensures the security and privacy of the patient's medical data.
What is the Definition of an Electronic Health Record (EHR)?
An Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a digital version of a patient's paper records, that provide a comprehensive view of their medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, and allergies maintained by all providers involved in the patient's care.
With EHRs, clinicians can easily access and analyze a patient's medical history, which can help them to provide more accurate diagnoses and make better treatment decisions. EHRs are also patient-centered, providing real-time patient data access and allowing patients to access their own medical records, which can help them take control of their healthcare and ensure that their medical information is up-to-date and accurate.
It is important to note that EHRs can be accessed and managed by authorized clinicians and staff across different healthcare organizations, providing a more comprehensive picture of a patient's health and enabling informed decisions about patient care. EHRs are the digital future of healthcare, providing easy access to medical information, reducing errors, and enhancing communication between healthcare providers.
Let us learn more about the differences below.
Electronic Medical Records |
Electronic Health Records |
|
Scope of Information |
Contains patient medical history, diagnoses, medications, and treatment plans, usually within a single healthcare organization. |
Designed to be compiled, accessed, and shared by anyone who provides care or treatment for a particular patient or group of individuals. It moves beyond traditional boundaries of practice, health care network, and even geography to provide a complete, longitudinal record of the patient's health to enable more complete care coordination. |
Interoperability |
Cannot share information with other healthcare providers or systems makes it challenging to coordinate care with providers outside of a single organization. |
A higher level of interoperability allows patient data to be shared securely and electronically among authorized healthcare providers. |
Care Coordination |
Limited capabilities for care coordination. |
Designed to support care coordination across multiple healthcare providers and settings. This allows healthcare providers to share information and collaborate on patient care plans. |
Analytics and population health management |
May not have the same level of analytics and population health management capabilities as EHR. |
Often include analytics tools that allow healthcare providers to identify trends and patterns in patient health data. This information can be used to improve patient outcomes and population health. |