The Herculean task of implementing EHRs on a wide scale
President Obama has issued a new set of rules in an attempt to modernize healthcare industry. One such stimulus package issued by Obama includes incorporation of an EHR system to reduce “preventable medical errors.”
Though the outcomes seem promising, the task of implementing the EHRs is definitely not without hurdles. One major drawback in an EHR system is that multiple access points of patient data over networks leads to loss of privacy and security. HIPAA has strict rules for the protection of patient data and though there are various security practice and softwares for networks, it is definitely risky to keep patient data over wireless networks.
Another drawback is the integration of older records with the new EHR system. Scanning and integrating the data in the new system can turn out to be cost, time and energy consuming. Also, the old records, most of the times get degraded, illegible and out of current standard and formats.
Again, incorporating hardware, software and networking obligations on a wide scale to make EHR effective involves a huge budget which may prevent many organizations from going for it. There are some other drawbacks of EHR too which include difficulty in destroying electronic data completely and also that an EHR system needs to be custom designed according to the unique environment of each facility.
However, this is just the darker aspect. Many standards and softwares are already in the market to help to enable specific aspects of a future EHR and many more are yet to come. Among the popular ones in the market are ASTM International Continuity of Care Record based upon XML, ANSIX12, DICOM and so on. Medical transcriptionists have a remarkable ability to adapt and grow and in times to come, it is hoped that EHR system will be applicable universally.
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