Centralizing Healthcare: The Benefits of EMR Systems - Essay Sample

Introduction

The modern healthcare systems have been moving towards the centralization of services, especially with advances in technology. Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems are one of the latest innovations in healthcare and have the potential to revolutionize the exchange of health information among primary caregivers. In this regard, the EMR system refers to a digital platform that facilitates longitudinal sharing of health information from a central location (Menachemi & Collum, 2011). This system enhances the management of information such as patient demographics, laboratory data, vital signs, immunization, radiology reports, medication and, progress notes (Menachemi & Collum, 2011). Encouraging healthcare providers to implement EMR systems, according to Dechene (2011), has been one of the prominent public policy objectives in the United States for the last two decades. In recent years, the federal government has been offering financial incentives to encourage healthcare institutions to implement systems of EMRs. The US hospitals and physicians, notably, began using EMRs in 2009 after the country ratified the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act (Menachemi & Collum, 2011). This legislation requires the providers to opt for this technology and utilize it "meaningfully," which involves using EMR functionalities of cost containment and error reduction (Menachemi & Collum, 2011). American hospitals should implement interoperable EMR systems because it helps contain healthcare costs, improve the overall quality of medical care, enhance operational performance, and study populations.

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Interoperability of EMR Systems

The key concern since the introduction of EMR has been its interoperability, which refers to the ability of the system to integrate and share the medical records of different providers (Dechene, 2011). The International Organization for Standardization defines EMR interoperability as the ability of information systems or applications being able to communicate effectively without compromising the content of "health records transmitted electronically" (Bhartiya et al., 2016, p. 192). The aim of enhancing EMR interoperability is to enhance access by authorized stakeholders (see figure 1). Through interoperable EMR systems, physicians would be able to access prior test results and the past medical information of the patient. Such technology has an array of benefits since it is a primary driver for improving the quality of care. Besides, it is essential for reducing national health care costs (Dechene, 2011).

Figure 1: An illustration of multiple access to EMR systems.

Malhotra and Lassite (2014) said that Congress supported the introduction of EMR systems in the US at a time the healthcare costs comprised 16-17% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, three main issues, namely, technological challenges, legal impediments, and privacy concerns, adversely impacts the establishment of interoperable EMR systems (Dechene, 2011). As a way to help facilitate the goals of interoperable systems of EMR, policymakers should resolve the three issues through the process of standardization.

The focus of most regulatory programs that underpin technological innovations in healthcare, according to Tutty et al. (2019), has been the interoperability of the system. Despite significant investments in technology, nonetheless, research shows that the process of developing interoperable EMR systems is slow (Tutty et al., 2019). Treating physicians at the moment, cannot access a patient's health information that originates from within their organizations, and from another hospital or clinic (Tutty et al., 2019). This situation is detrimental as it causes patient safety risks besides creating frustration and delays in the care.

Whereas some healthcare institutions share information internally and interface with imaging centers, pharmacies, and laboratories, interoperability with registries, vendors, and external health systems remains a challenge (Tutty et al., 2019). Even establishing effective systems of EMR that connect hospitals, state, and public health systems are difficult (Tutty et al., 2019). However, the number of organizations working to achieve interoperable EMR systems through health information exchanges and the creation of technical standards is rising (Tutty et al., 2019). The fear of contravening the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is one obstacle to developing interoperable EMR systems in the US Tutty et al. (2019).

EMR Systems and the Overall Quality of Medical Care

Systems of EMR facilitates the sharing of patient Private Health Information (PHI), which, in turn, improve the treatment process and clinical outcomes. Through the use of this system, communication between doctors significantly improves, allowing each party to access the patient's past treatment details, among other components of the medical history. This aspect provides for a more in-depth evaluation of critical information that is pertinent to the patient's health. Importantly, here, is that convenient access to the patient's information enables treating physicians and nurses to reach an accurate diagnosis of a patient's health more quickly.

The traditional paperwork, in contrast, provides a snapshot-type overview of an individual's health information from a current hospital visit. McMullen et al. (2014) said that the popularity of EMRs has been growing over time because of the additional benefits that are not present in paper charts. Malhotra and Lassite (2014) found that the adoption of EMR systems revolutionized the country's healthcare system when Congress approved the Medicare policy. At that time, the need for EMR technology was inevitable as Medicare programs created large processing centers, and a massive repository of beneficiary records (Malhotra & Lassite, 2014).

Unlike the traditional methods of maintaining patient records, EMR technology allows healthcare providers to monitor critical changes in patient outcomes after the implementation of new procedures and practices. Through such system functionalities, physicians can check whether the patient is due for immunization, processes, physical exams, and the like (McMullen et al., 2014). Moreover, it improves the security of patient PHI, meaning it guarantees the privacy of confidential information during the treatment process.

Systems of EMR allow hospitals to maintain up-to-date records on the medical history of the patient, an aspect which translates to a higher quality of care. Accurate information as well leads to better diagnoses and a decline in errors (Hillestad et al., 2012). Paper prescriptions, in contrast, are a risk to the health of the patient as healthcare workers can misread or lose them. With such issues, there are high chances of physicians dispensing wrong medication or even errors in dosage. Interoperable EMR systems, in this perspective, have more benefits since it enables doctors to communicate with the pharmacy, among other parties. Such system support electronic prescribing, thus saving time and reducing errors by eliminating cases of losing prescriptions. Hillestad et al. (2012) found that patient safety improves with the implementation of EMR systems, as the digital platform can potentially detect dangerous drug interactions.

The establishment of EMR systems contributes to an improvement in the quality of care since it improves efficiency, increasing the conduct between patients and physicians or nurses. The automation of critical information and documents, according to Hillestad et al. (2012), leads to fewer storage issues and less paperwork. This way, the doctors would be spending less time on administrative tasks, including filling tedious documents and processing forms. The storage space would also decline as paperwork reduces. With the retrieval of digital EMRs and instant storage, healthcare professions can spend a significant proportion of their time caring for their patients. This situation leads to better health outcomes and quality care in the long run.

Moreover, EMR makes it easier for doctors, among other healthcare professionals, to follow up with patients. This aspect is essential as it allows physicians to track continuing care for a patient under their care and that of other doctors. At the very least, the system can save time during subsequent visits to the doctor's office. The reason is that the EMR system provides real-time data that is of great importance in case of an emergency since it provides life-saving information. In such situations, healthcare providers can use the system to retrieve a patient's medical history more quickly than with the traditional approaches (Hillestad et al., 2012).

During emergencies as well, doctors can review the past treatment procedures to determine diagnostic tests that worked for the patient and those that did not. With EMR systems, patients are less susceptible to imaging procedures or duplicative testing since the patient's PHI, including results, is in a central location. This aspect improves coordination between providers, which in turn leads to better management of chronic conditions. These outcomes are in line with the overall focus of health care providers, which involves improving patient care, managing severe conditions, and achieving an accurate diagnosis (Hillestad et al., 2012).

Societal and Organizational Benefits of EMR Systems

In the literature, researchers have examined the benefits of electronic medical records by considering societal, organizational, and clinical outcomes (Menachemi, N., & Collum, 2011). The organizational benefits include improvements in operational and financial performance. Menachemi and Collum (2011) said researchers agree that the use of this health information technology improves satisfaction among clinicians and patients. Clinical outcomes of EMR, on the other hand, include an improvement in patient-level measures and the quality of care besides a reduction in medical errors (Menachemi, N., & Collum, 2011). Lastly, societal outcomes of EMR system involves aspects that improve the health of the population through technological features that place researchers in a better position to study populations.

Scholarly research by Perlis et al. (2012) gives more insights into the societal benefits of EMR systems, specifically from the perspective of clinical investigation. In this regard, the authors found that, through the analysis of EMR data, researchers can identify subpopulations with specific disorders in significant patient populations (Perlis et al., 2012). More importantly, the researchers noted that the EMR system is an effective means of characterizing outcomes since it facilitates the integration of information across multiple visits (Perlis et al., 2012) (see the illustration in figure 2). Without this technology, it would be challenging for researchers to assess each hospital visit to establish an individual's treatment course for specific illnesses, especially where signs and symptoms fluctuate over time (Perlis et al., 2012).

Figure 2: Incorporating information from multiple visits into the EMR system.

Whereas the implementation of EMR systems has dramatically improved the quality of care, public studies show that several countries, including the US, are yet to realize the full benefits of the technology (Riahi et al., 2017). The system ought to transform the delivery of healthcare across six dimensions of care, namely, equitable, timely, patient-centered, efficiency, effectiveness, and safety (Riahi et al., 2017). However, published studies...