There’s a new TV advertisement from GE out in the last couple of weeks that demonstrates very well the value of electronic medical records (EMRs).  If you haven’t seen it already, have a look:

The 911 Family of Products, the 911 Medical ID Card and Medallion, have a goal of working with the new electronic medical records systems mandated by the United States government and other governments around the world. Being able to use your 911 Medical ID to download your records and have them on your person at all times – not just in your doctor’s office or via the Internet – is a valuable bonus to the benefits of the EMRs that are demonstrated in the above commercial.

A new report from healthcare market research publisher Kalorama Information says that while many of the heavy hitters in software are involved in the electronic medical records (EMR) market, there is currently no clear leader.  Despite products from such companies as IBM, 3M, Dell, and even Wal-Mart, no one company is ahead of the pack.

“No one has closed the deal yet for physician mindshare, at least not yet,” said Bruce Carlson, publisher of Kalorama Information. “And that is good news for companies that are considering entering the system with a product that has enhanced functionality.”

Kalorama’s study of the EMR market was conducted in the year since the U.S. government announced incentives for physicians who implement and use EMR in their practices.  According to the report, the EMR market is estimated at $13.8 billion in 2009. However, Kalorama estimates that at least seventy percent of that market represents sales to hospitals and health systems. Because of the scale of operation, capital and support needed to service hospitals, large IT companies such as McKesson, Cerner, Eclypsis and MediTech, who were doing business with these customers prior to the EMR incentives, have a fairly strong hold on that segment.

Click this link to read Kalorama’s report:
EMR 2010 (Market Analysis, ARRA Incentives, Key Players, and Important Trends)

There’s a great post today on the Bradford Scott Medical Blog.  Bradford Scott is an IT firm specializing in medical office products and support.  They posted a rundown of what doctor’s offices need to be ready for the switchover to electronic medical records (EMRs), and to qualify for stimulus money designed to help in the switchover.  If you’re in charge of a doctor’s office that hasn’t made the switch, or if you’re wondering why your doctor is still using paper … take a look:

Is your practice ready for Electronic Medical Records and meaningful use?

According to preliminary estimates from a U.S. government report, the use of electronic medical records (EMR) in doctor’s offices is indeed increasing.  According to a story on TMCnet, the report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows four out of every ten office or clinic based physicians is now using EMRs…

43.9 percent of physicians reported using full or partial EMR/EHR systems – not including systems used solely for billing – in office-based practices. About 20.5 percent reported having systems that meet the criteria of a basic system, and 6.3 percent reported using a fully functional system.

The survey indicates that from 2007-2008, physicians use of any EMR system increased by 18.7 percent and the percentage of physicians reporting having systems that meet the criteria of a basic system increased by 41.5 percent. Researchers conclude that the 2009 preliminary estimates did not change significantly from 2008.

Follow this link to read the full story.

A new article puts the blame for the slow pace of electronic medical records adoption squarely on the patient.  The article, published on MSNBC and filed from last week’s 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, says the culprit in the delay of digitizing the U.S. healthcare system is lack of demand from the public.  Comments on the subject came from experts attending CES to view the latest healthcare gadgets.

Doctors and medical technology executives said Saturday that the biggest hurdle to computerizing health care isn’t tradition or Luddism or bureaucracy — it’s the reluctance of consumers to sign on. Without consumer demand, manufacturers and administrators can’t justify the upfront cost of digitizing patients’ cases and securing their records because they can’t be reasonably sure they’ll recover their investment.

“The health care dollar has really been stretched to the extreme in the United States,” Deepak Ayyagari, director of technology programs for Sharp Laboratories of America, said during a daylong conference on digital health at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show. “We can’t invest further in all the things required because we don’t see a market.”

We at the 911 Family of Products, of course, counter that having a product like the 911 Medical ID Card can make consumer’s lives easier as medical professionals transition to digital records.  The goal of the card is to interface with all major doctor’s office record keeping systems.  As new EMR systems come online, the card will automatically be updated, at no charge to the cardholder.  This allows the user to easily keep up to date and in charge of their health information

To read the rest of the article on MSNBC, click here.

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.

 
A new article from HealthDay (found on MSN) details two new studies related to electronic medical records (EMR).  In both cases, doctors were polled, and in both cases the majority believed that EMRs would save money and time while improving patient care.
 

One study of more than 1,000 family practice and specialist doctors in Massachusetts found that 86 percent believed electronic health information exchange (HIE) would improve patient quality of care, 70 percent thought it would reduce costs and 76 percent said it would save time.

However, 16 percent said they were “very concerned” about possible privacy breaches, while a further 55 percent were “somewhat concerned.” The study also found that none of the doctors wanted to pay the suggested $150 monthly fee for HIE and about half said they weren’t willing to pay any fee.

The second study, which included 56 psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and therapists at an academic medical center, found that most believed electronic health records were clearer and more complete than paper records, but not necessarily more factual.

MEMI Tech supports the push toward EMRs, and is constantly working toward full integration of 911 Medical ID with EMR software systems.  Privacy issues are always a concern when it comes to new technology, but with proper safeguards EMRs can be more secure than paper records.

There’s a great blog post over at the KevinMD.com Medical Blog, talking about a new study of the effectiveness of electronic medical records.  It says that according to a study of 3,000 hospitals, the switch to electronic medical records is not showing any improvement in patient care.  However, according to KevinMD, the reason for it is that doctor’s offices are using outdated methods of transferring paper to the computers, and outdated systems in general:

Very few physicians use electronic record systems effectively. For instance, many are simply scanning paper records into a computer, which provides minimal benefit. It’s difficult to track quality improvement data doing that. The problem is further compounded by the archaic interfaces that the current generation of EMRs have, which is akin to a user interface circa Windows 95.

It’s no wonder that most doctors find electronic medical systems actually slows them down. The next generation of systems needs to focus on facilitating the doctor-patient encounter, rather than being an impediment.

The continued use of PHRs, particularly a portable and easy to use system like 911 Medical ID is surely part of the solution.