Electronic Health Records: A Revolution in Healthcare Efficiency

Introduction

An Electronic Health Record (EHR) is an electronic version of a patients paper written chart. EHR’s are real time records that contain information for each individual patient and are made available instantly and securely to authorized personnel. There are many benefits of EHR implementation in the healthcare setting. From less paperwork to saving time and costs, increased quality of care, progressing patient care to improved efficiency and productivity. However, throughout this paper we will be discussing some of the success factors and/or pitfalls that an ambulatory setting has experienced that has helped shape their success.

Background

In the US there are growing stakeholders and legislative demands to incorporate EHR’s into healthcare settings, with the goal of leveraging health information technology to reduce costs, improve patient safety, and track quality indicators.1 With the meaningful use initiative to provide incentives for those organizations and facilities who implement

Five factors appeared critical to facilitate successful management of ambulatory EHR implementations.1 The first factor was commitment. That meant support from leadership and also support from financial resources. The second factor was convincing/converting. This meant actions should be taken to convince hesitant new users of the system. The third factor included communication. As well all know, communication is a very important aspect to any new project, strong communication skills throughout all individuals involved will lead to a more successful implementation. The fourth factor was coordination. This involved keeping a balance between the clinicians and the IS. The more hand in hand they work with, the smoother the implementation. Last but not least, change management. This was a critical factor that involved framing the implementation process using concepts from organizational change