By Richard B. Greene, BS, PharmD, RPh, MBA, FASCP
A major factor of health care reform is the rapid adoption of health information technology (HIT) to improve patient safety, increase quality of care delivery, and achieve cost-savings through greater efficiency and coordination. The Institute of Medicine heightened the urgency to accelerate United States hospitals’ adoption of Computer Physician Order entry (CPOE) systems.
There are many acronyms which play an active role within the heal information technology initiative.
An electronic medical record (EMR) is usually a computerized legal medical record created in an organization that delivers care, such as a hospital and doctor's office. Electronic medical records tend to be a part of a local stand-alone health information system that allows storage, retrieval, and manipulation of records.
Some hybrid EMR systems allow patients the ability to access to their own records in the professional EMR system. These hybrid systems maybe provided by health insurance organizations, or by private programs.
A personal health record (PHR) is typically a record of an individual's personal health information that is initiated and maintained by a patient. An ideal PHR would include the gathering of data from many sources and making this information accessible online to anyone who has the necessary electronic permission to view the information.
PHRs are not the same as EHRs (electronic health records). An EHR (also known as electronic patient record or computerized patient record) is an evolving concept defined as a longitudinal collection of electronic health information about individual patients or populations. The EHR is generated and maintained within an institution, such as a hospital, integrated delivery network, clinic, or physician office. Similar to the data recorded in paper-based medical records, the EHR contains legally mandated notes on the care provided by clinicians to patients. Such records may included a whole range of data in comprehensive or summary form, including demographics, medical history, medication and allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images, and billing information.
Electronic prescribing, or “e-prescribing,” has evolved into a highly efficient and secure process. E-prescribing assists in reducing health care costs, improving the safety, quality, and efficiency of the prescription process relied upon by millions of patients in the U.S. every day. E-prescribing supports a shift to a paperless and more informed way for prescribers, payers, and pharmacists to communicate.
E-prescribing refers to a process initiated by a prescriber to transmit patient and medication information through electronic media to a pharmacy, resulting in the delivery of medication to a patient. This includes creating the prescription; receiving automated decision support, including drug and allergy information, medication history, and eligibility; sending the prescription electronically to the pharmacy; and receiving medication renewal requests from the pharmacy. Faxing a prescription, even through computer software (a function included in many EMR products), does not meet the definition of e-prescribing.
Prescribers can e-prescribe by using either an electronic medical record (EMR) software or a standalone e-prescribing software (software that performs only the e-prescribing function).
HIT enables the pharmacist in any setting to play an enhanced role in patient care. Expect continued progress in this field as we move to a system of more comprehensive electronic communication between the healthcare professionals and the patients they serve.
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