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EMR can be basically considered to be an electronic medical file in digital format. In health informatics an EMR is considered by some to be one of several types of electronic health records, but in general usage EMR and EHR are somewhat the same. In recent years adoption of the EMR and other health information technology, such as computer physician order entry has been minimal in the United States. Less than 10% of American hospitals have implemented health information technology, while a mere 16% of primary care physicians use EHRs and the vast majority of healthcare transactions in the United States still take place on paper, a system that has remained untouched since the 1950s.
The healthcare industry in the United States spends only 2% of gross revenues on HIT, which is not enough, compared to other information intensive industries such as finance, military, education and many more which spend upwards of 10%. In the United States of America, the recent development of standards for EMR interoperability is at the forefront of the national health care agenda. Without interoperable EMRs, practicing physicians, pharmacies and hospitals cannot share and use patient information, making it very difficult for the necessary, timely, patient care. Limitations in software, hardware and networking technologies have made EMR less affordable to implement in small healthcare organizations. Pricing for EMR systems is highly dependent on each practice’s needs. Because every medical practice has distinct requirements, systems usually need to be adapted. This is due to the vast majority systems based on templates that initially have a general structure. In many cases, these templates can then be customized to better fit a medical specialty, environment or other specified needs.
The healthcare industry in the United States spends only 2% of gross revenues on HIT, which is not enough, compared to other information intensive industries such as finance, military, education and many more which spend upwards of 10%. In the United States of America, the recent development of standards for EMR interoperability is at the forefront of the national health care agenda. Without interoperable EMRs, practicing physicians, pharmacies and hospitals cannot share and use patient information, making it very difficult for the necessary, timely, patient care. Limitations in software, hardware and networking technologies have made EMR less affordable to implement in small healthcare organizations. Pricing for EMR systems is highly dependent on each practice’s needs. Because every medical practice has distinct requirements, systems usually need to be adapted. This is due to the vast majority systems based on templates that initially have a general structure. In many cases, these templates can then be customized to better fit a medical specialty, environment or other specified needs.
