How Electronic Health Records Will Benefit You
PA REACH East is pleased to help Pennsylvania health care providers adopt electronic health records (EHRs) into their practices. The ultimate goal of EHRs is to provide consumers with a higher level of patient care. It will mean a more comprehensive approach to health care, with your complete, secure medical history at your doctor’s fingertips. Here are just some of the benefits:
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Better point of care treatment – all of your labs, scans, medication, blood type, and a complete medical history will be clearly detailed on your physician’s computer screen – whether you are seeing your family doctor, specialist, or need emergency services out of town
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Better access to your own health records and those of your family
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Fewer medical errors (i.e. repeat testing, drug interactions, dosage accuracy)
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Better collaboration and communication between primary care and specialty doctors
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Updates on the availability of preventative services
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Information that could save your life is available for those who treat you in an emergency
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Fewer forms to fill out during a visit
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Fewer repetitive questions – regarding past medical history
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Legible record keeping – “doctor’s handwriting” issues are resolved
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As technology continues to play an increasingly important role in health care, the national movement towards electronic health record systems is leading to many improvements in the quality of patient care. EHR technology ensures that your information is safe and secure in a system that can only be used by the people who are caring for you, and only with your consent.
HealthIT.gov is a great Web site for people to visit to learn more about Health Information Technology. This Web site offers basic information about electronic health records (EHRs), some of the benefits this technology provides to patients, and privacy and security information. HealthIT.gov also features many patient health IT stories that serve to clearly illustrate how EHRs are positively impacting the quality patient care.
The team at PA REACH East encourages you to visit this site to educate yourself and your loved ones about health IT.