Key goals and realization of EMR implementation

The purpose behind moving to electronic medical recordkeeping is “to create an interoperable national system for the secure exchange of healthcare information”, explains Dr. Bill Crounse (Crounse).  When former President George W. Bush announced in his January 2004 State of the Union speech his goal for the United States to be utilizing electronic medical records by 2014, he stated that “by computerizing health records, we can avoid dangerous medical mistakes, reduce costs, and improve care.” (Bush)  Aaron Dunkel, the deputy secretary of the Kansas Department of Health expounded on this, saying the primary goal of making records electronic was to improve the efficiency and quality of providers by enabling the sharing of a patient’s files within their care team (Biles).  Though each supporter has their own idea of which goal is the most significant, all seem to agree that all aspects of the improvement of effective and necessary communication regarding a patient’s care can be achieved through electronic medical record keeping.

The purchasing of software system(s) to house the records and cost is a significant obstacle in making this first step (Swanson et al, 607).  Noting this issue as being a larger stumbling block for smaller practices, Representative Kathleen Dahlkemper introduced a bill that would loan small businesses the monies to acquire and install technological related hardware and software, with a cap of $350,000 (GovTrack.us).  This bill has not yet been passed into law; however, it has passed through the House.  The technological requirements can include workstations, computer equipment and data servers, as well as technical support and the software package itself (Lenhart et al, 112).  As an added incentive, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allocated funds which would reward businesses with bonus packages of up to $18,000 once they have their electronic record keeping implemented (Blumenthal).

In addition to the financial aspects, there is the need to educate personnel.  This education step must include not only instructional training on how to utilize the software, but also education designed to change the perception held by many about EMRs.  Without a positive attitude regarding the significance and utility of this process, medical staff will be less likely to embrace the changes (McLane).  Dr. Matt Murray suggests that with a committed attitude and outlook when discussing EMR roll out plans, the “staff will mimic your attitude to an EMR” (Murray).  This should begin with an open discussion about each staff member’s role in the new system, what is expected, what will change, and to encourage discussions about concerns and issues (McLane).

Even though some medical institutions have begun to take the steps towards making these changes, many more have not.  In fact, studies report that less than 10% of US hospitals have implemented at least a basic electronic record management system and less than 20% of US physician’s offices have implemented at least a basic system (Geisler et al).  “One of the amazing discrepancies in American society today is we’re literally changing how medicine is delivered in incredibly positive ways, and yet docs are still spending a lot of time writing things on paper — and sometimes it’s hard to read their handwriting,” said Bush (Benedetto).

Work Cited

Benedetto, Richard. “Bush Advocates Electronic Medical Record-keeping.” USA Today 27 May 2004, Politics sec. USA Today. 2008. Mon. 26 Apr. 2010. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-05-27-bush-medical-records_x.htm&gt;.

Biles, Jan. “E-medical Records Goal of Panel.” Topeka Capital-Journal 21 Feb. 2010. Topeka Independent Living Resource Center. 2010. Tue. 27 Apr. 2010. <http://www.tilrc.org/assests/news/0210news/0210tech21.html&gt;.

Blumenthal, David. “Stimulating the Adoption of Health Information Technology.” The New England Journal of Medicine 360.15 (2009): 1477-479. The New England Journal of Medicine: Research & Review Articles on Diseases & Clinical Practice. The New England Journal of Medicine, 25 Mar. 2009. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. <http://nejm.highwire.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMp0901592&gt;.

Bush, George W. “State of the Union Address.” Address. State of the Union Address. Washington, D. C. 20 Jan. 2004. 20 Jan. 2004. Mon. 26 Apr. 2010. <http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040120-7.html&gt;.

Crounse, Bill. “Electronic Medical Records Improve Patient Care.” Microsoft Corporation. 22 Nov. 2005. Tue. 27 Apr. 2010. <http://www.microsoft.com/industry/healthcare/providers/businessvalue/housecalls/emr.mspx&gt;.

Geisler, Benjamin P., Jeremiah D. Schuur, and Daniel J. Pallin. “Estimates of Electronic Medical Records in U.S. Emergency Departments.” PLoS ONE : Accelerating the Publication of Peer-reviewed Science. Ed. Joseph S. Ross. Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 17 Feb. 2010. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. <http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0009274&gt;.

“H.R. 3014–111th Congress: Small Business Health Information Technology Financing Act.” GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation). 2009. Wed. April 28, 2010 <http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-3014&gt;

Lenhart, James G., Karen Honess, Deborah Covington, and Kevin E. Johnson. “An Analysis of Trends, Perceptions, and Use Patternsof Electronic Medical Records Among USFamily Practice Residency Programs.” Medical Informatics 32.2 (1998). New Hanover RegionalMedical Center Foundation Residency Research Fund. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10697769&gt;.

McLane, Sharon. “Designing an EMR Planning Process – Opinions on Computers: Importance of Staff Acceptance.” Medscape. University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 2005. Fri. 30 Apr. 2010. <http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/501963_3&gt;.

Murray, Matt. “Selecting an EMR: Effective Communication.” Digitized Medicine. 13 Aug. 2009. Sat. 1 May 2010. <http://www.digitizedmedicine.com/2009/08/selecting-an-emr-effective-communication.html&gt;.

Swanson, Todd, Julie Dostal, Brad Eichhorst, Clarence Jernigan, Mark Knox, and Kevin Roper. “Recent Implementations of Electronic Medical Records in Four Family Practice Residency Programs.” Academic Medicine 72.7 (1997): 607-12. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. The Association of American Medical Colleges. Tue. 27 Apr. 2010. <http://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Abstract/1997/07000/Recent_implementations_of_electronic_medical.13.aspx&gt;.