2009 was a big year for citizen education about healthcare, and there’s a great article found today on Health Leaders Media that charts 10 Phrases That Became Part of the Healthcare Lexicon in 2009. Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) made the list:
3. Electronic Medical Records (EMR) versus Electronic Health Records (EHR). These acronyms were around before 2009, but more Americans are now aware of the technology. EMR and EHR are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing, although further refinements of their definitions are ongoing. EMR is the electronic replacement of a paper chart and the record of a patient’s history and care generated by one particular provider. An EHR, meanwhile, is a complete, long-term computerized electronic record of a patient’s care culled from any and all provider settings.
The EHR connects multiple providers, such as hospitals and clinicians, laboratories, and prescription and/or pharmacy histories, test results, and care notes collected by any provider throughout time for one particular patient.
Perhaps this list of 10 should be lengthened to 11? Notably missing was the phrase “personal health record“, or PHR, which we think is as important as any of the others listed. Creating a PHR allows individuals to take charge of their medical records, and creating a portable PHR with a technology like 911 Medical ID allows that data to be used not only in the doctor’s office for scheduled visits but also in the event of an emergency, when you can’t relay health information on your own.
This entry was posted
on Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 10:02 am and is filed under Electronic Medical Records News, Healthcare News, Personal Health Record News.
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