Digital health platforms are quickly changing healthcare from paper-based records to digital ones. The latest advancement in that shift is a switch from EMRs to EHRs enabling a stronger coordination of care between providers. In this article, we’ll explore this transition as it applies to Australian healthcare.
What is the Difference Between an EMR and EHR?
Healthcare providers have access to more patient data than ever before. Managing all of that data requires digital systems. That’s where Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) and Electronic Health Records (EHR) come into play. But, what’s the difference between these two digital systems for managing patient data? Let’s start by defining both and then we can compare them.
Electronic Medical Records (EMRs)
While talking to patients, doctors take copious amounts of notes to document the patient’s condition, current health, history, vitals, and much more. EMRs digitize these notes and all other relevant patient information. They’re designed to mirror the traditional paper patient charts doctors are already used to so they can seamlessly transition to a digital version.
Electronic Health Records (EHR)
Patient charts can leave out valuable information about patients from other sources. To make the best decisions, doctors need access to all relevant information including from other healthcare providers like past visits to hospitals, clinics, labs, and specialists. EHRs aggregate
all of this information to provide a comprehensive view of a patient’s health and history. This sets the stage for multi-disciplinary care coordination where health teams can collaborate across care facilities and healthcare practicies.
EMRs vs EHRs: A Side-by-Side Comparison
Now, let’s break down the differences between EMRs and EHRs:
Aspect | Electronic Medical Records | Electronic Health Records |
Definition | Digitized patient chart within a single practice | Comprehensive patient records from multiple facilities |
Scope | Contains medical history, diagnoses, and treatments from one provider | Aggregates data from all healthcare facilities the patient has visited |
Data Sharing | Limited sharing capabilities. Typically only within one provider | Seamless data sharing across all healthcare facilities the patient visits |
Functionality | Helps with diagnosis and treatment of patients within a single practice | Facilitates care coordination across multiple facilities |
Interoperability | Lacks interoperability across facilities, but coordinates care within one practice | Built for interoperability enabling data transfer across disparate systems |
Patient Access | Not accessible to patients in most cases | Typically provides an online portal for patient access and review |
Transitioning from EMR to EHR
Traditionally, healthcare is wrought with data silos that prevent multi-disciplinary care coordination. Oftentimes, care coordination relies upon doctor’s referrals and patients relaying information between their general practitioner, specialists, and hospital staff. That results in suboptimal care.
Transition to EHR enables real care coordination where all facilities have access to the same information. When a provider runs a new test or collects new information, all practices that the patient visits gain access to that information as well. This allows providers to work together to treat patients.
Why a Country Needs a National EHR System
To gain the full value of an EHR system, it needs to be national. Otherwise, each provider could use a different EHR system preventing the full data sharing that makes EHR systems valuable. While some providers could share if they use the same system, this leaves out other providers and can create limitations on which providers a patient can realistically receive care from.
National EHR systems create the standardisation required for seamless data sharing between healthcare facilities. It breaks down data silos across an entire nation enabling its citizens to see any care provider. This gives patients the freedom to switch providers as needed, see specialists, and receive comprehensive care without losing information on their health history during each change.
Use Cases of EHR in Preventable Diseases
The real-time patient data from all healthcare providers the patient has interacted with can help providers offer higher quality care to those with preventable diseases. This comprehensive data allows providers to catch preventable diseases earlier minimizing harm and collaboratively treat the disease. Here are a few specific use cases of EHR for preventable diseases:
- Chronic Disease Management: Patients with preventable chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension can benefit from EHRs as it enables real-time tracking of their illness. For instance, continuous glucose tracking devices can send data directly to the EHR so that care providers can adjust insulin doses promptly. Similarly, the bloodpressure data that wearable devices can continuously collect can also be sent directly to the EHR enabling timely interventions.
- Early Detection Programs: Programs for the early detection of diseases like cancer screening and newborn bloodspot screening become more effective with EHR The results of these screenings get sent to an EHR giving all healthcare providers the patient visits access to those screenings increasing the likelihood of early detection.
- Free Immunisation Programs: National EHR systems allow the nation to keep track of which immunisations each citizen has provided. That allows for comprehensive immunisation of citizens as provided by free immunisation programs. It can also automate immunisation reminders for citizens.
- Mental Health and Behavioral Interventions: Comprehensive patient data within EHR systems can inform policies, strategies and plans for treating mental health issues and suicide prevention. EHR systems can pair with digital therapeutics and mobile health applications for continuous monitoring of those with mental health issues.
Benefits for Public Health Authorities
EHR systems help public health authorities monitor and respond to health trends based on real-time data. Here are a few specific ways public health authorities benefit from national EHR systems:
- Improved Healthcare Quality and Safety: Comprehensive patient history data for everyone in a nation allows public health authorities to stay ahead of health
- Enhanced Efficiency and Cost Reduction: Reducing the reliance on paper-based records improves efficiency and reduces cost.
- Strengthened Public Health Monitoring: Real-time health data can enable public health authorities to detect disease outbreaks early and implement preventative measures faster.
- Improved Accessibility and Continuity of Care: Granting authorised healthcare providers access to comprehensive patient history provides citizens with better continuity of care whether they relocate, change doctors, or require specialised care.
- Enhanced Data Security and Privacy: Digital storage solutions with advanced security protocols offer more privacy and a lower chance of data leaking than paper-based storage methods.
- Support for Research and Innovation: Large-scale health data aggregated from all authorised healthcare facilities provides researchers with resources for new research and data-based innovation.
Considerations for Healthcare Providers
Transitioning from EMRs to EHRs requires careful considerations for healthcare providers. It’s not an immediate switch that just requires new software. Different practice sizes will require different levels of storage for patient data as well as different capabilities. Larger organisations can offset more of the cost of an EHR through the efficiency improvements for their staff, however, small practices might need national assistance to cost-effectively implement EHR.
Providers switching from EMRs to national EHRs will have less need to monitor their regulatory compliance. As long as the provider follows the national guidelines for implementation and use, they’ll be complying with associated regulations. EMRs, on the otherhand, require the practice to make their own assessments on regulations and implement their own compliance protocols.
While transitioning from EMRs to EHRs comes with a few complications, the benefits far outweigh the drawback, particularly when implemented on a national level. Reach out to DC2Vue today for assistance transitioning from an EMR to an EHR whether it’s for your own organisation or nationwide.
