Pros And Cons Of Electronic Health Records

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Policy Debate: The Cons of Electronic Health Records Cons of Electronic Health Records Janet O’Reilly Thomas Edison State College May 29, 2012 Professor Rovina Billingslea 1. Policy Debate: The Cons of Electronic Health Records In January 2004, President Bush asked the United States health care system to endorse electronic health records and to make them obtainable to the country within ten years. An electronic health record (HER), “is a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or…show more content…
Sensitivity to these cases must be considered for many patients do not want other health care providers or insurance companies to be able to retrieve highly confidential health information. Depersonalization of office visits and e-mails can impact patient care both directly and indirectly. Waiting times between e-mails and having your physician sitting with a lap top or PC may distract from inputting valuable information. The coordination between specialists and all other health care workers may be altered or delayed depending on computer access. Conclusion: Who will be responsible for the EHR system and implementation? Who will police this data and will there be one central EHR or will there be an infinite number of systems out there compatible with each other or in competition with each other? All these issues are of utmost importance and overwhelming at best. Time and research is needed to address all the options to upload a system that is safe accurate and ultimately benefits not only patients but the health care system as well. Currently the Obama Administration has authorized federal incentive…show more content…
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians “the majority of small and medium offices have opted not to adopt electronic records because of costs and unresolved questions.” ( USA Today 2012). Within the next six years doctors and hospitals who treat Medicare and Medicaid patients will earn extra payments from the government if they utilize the electronic record but they must conform to a rigid and strict technical standards and at some point become certified. All of these issues still remain to be seen and will have to have a buy in of some kind in order to work for all American citizens. References: USA Today, 2012 The cons of Electronic Health Records. Retrieved on May 29, 2012, from www. Usatoday.com/news/health/2010-07-14ehr-emr-obama_N.htm Westin, R. (2011) Do You Want Your Health Records To Be Electronic? The Pros and Cons of Electronic Records. Retrieved on May 29, 2012 from www.thirdage.com/medical-care/theprosandconsofelectronichealthrecords. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (2012) HER Electronic Health Record, Retrieved on May 29, 2012, from www.himss.org/ASP/topics_ehr.asp Kingsbury, K. (2008). Medical Records Go Digital. Time Magazine. Retrieved May 29, 2012, from
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