Electronic medical records help empower patients

By Dr. Hyewon Jun

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 09, 2011

~~<p>The emergence of online electronic medical records is changing the face of health care, as it provides greater access to critical health care information and, consequently, opportunities for better patient outcomes. Although larger health institutions were first to gain access to electronic health records, they are quickly becoming a health industry standard.</p>
<p>Seeing the future in EHRs, Congress passed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) last year, which authorizes incentive payments through Medicare and Medicaid to hospitals when they use electronic health records to achieve better health care results. In conjunction with this legislation, the federal Department of Health and Human Services is setting up a network of Regional Extension Centers to assist providers in adopting and making meaningful use of qualified electronic health records.</p>
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The emergence of online electronic medical records is changing the face of health care, as it provides greater access to critical health care information and, consequently, opportunities for better patient outcomes. Although larger health institutions were first to gain access to electronic health records, they are quickly becoming a health industry standard.

Seeing the future in EHRs, Congress passed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) last year, which authorizes incentive payments through Medicare and Medicaid to hospitals when they use electronic health records to achieve better health care results. In conjunction with this legislation, the federal Department of Health and Human Services is setting up a network of Regional Extension Centers to assist providers in adopting and making meaningful use of qualified electronic health records. Login for more...