An EMR system is an Electronic Medical Record system. Typically held by hard drive memory in a server at a medical office, the EMR software is basically the digital version of the typical paper charting system from the classic medical documentation methods. Within EMR software, you will find all medical histories for patients from only a single medical practice. Therefore, the EMR software makes it easier to keep patient medical information in an easily accessible format for one office.
The Importance of Patient Medical Records and the Advantage of EMR Software
Patient medical records are kept to clearly document the diagnosis and treatment of a patient by a given healthcare provider. Until recently, these records were kept as paper files in the practitioners’ offices and maintained by medical administrators. It was a painstaking and required a large amount of space to store all of the records.
This has changed with the advent of the EMR system. EMR software allows for more efficient data tracking over time. The records for long-term patients can be easily traced to any date without immense efforts of page-turning and paper file searching. The system of EMR helps to flag patients who need to visit soon for routine screenings and tests. Medical administrators and other office staff can quickly see when a patient is due for preventative visits while physicians can quickly view patient history and administer care on time.
Making Patient Monitoring Easier
An EMR system makes it easier to monitor patient parameters, such as vital signs and repeat test requirements. It is important for physicians to keep track of patients’ needs for vaccinations and to track patterns of vital signs and measurements. Body Mass Index records and readings of blood pressure over time are good examples.
EMR information does have some limitations. While making it easier to keep track of patient history in one office, the information is only available to other medical offices by request, and has to be printed and faxed or sent by delivery service to communicate vital information to other practitioners.
Moving Beyond the EMR
The limitations of EMR software can be easily overcome with EHR software, or Electronic Health Records software. EHR allows the information collected in EMR based patient records to be seamlessly and easily exchanged between data systems. The result is a free and simple sharing of all EMR data between software systems. The advantages of this are tremendous. Doctors between different offices can exchange patient information more rapidly. There are other advantages.
For example, if a patient has to go to the Emergency Room, for any reason, particularly for a critical reason, their medical history is vital for the Emergency Physician to provide the proper care. As EHR systems become increasingly prevalent, EMR information is readily available to physicians in all positions of care for a given patient immediately. This technology saves lives.
