Electronic medical records (EMR) have been named as key technology innovation to improving patient care and reducing medical errors say the NG Healthcare committee Meeting in May in Dallas. This has been backed through federal stimulus money that along with legislation can reshape the healthcare industry.
Still, talk to people in healthcare and it is clear that there are myriad issues that need to be resolved before there is unanimous adoption of electronic records. Key challenges include financing the conversion from paper to computerized records, designing the work flow, making systems easier to use, integrating files from multiple sources and, of course, ongoing technical support.
The NG Healthcare Committee believe it is the responsibility of the healthcare Giants to support the smaller midsized companies and a meeting such as the NG Healthcare summit (hosted by GDS International) by openly discussing there implementation techniques.
Key challenges to be faced as raised by representatives from Mark Eimer – CTO, Texas Health Resources, Steve Heilman – CMIO, Norton Healthcare, Will Showalter – VP and CIO, Sisters of Mercy Health System, Mark Gilliam – VP and CIO, Ardent Health Services are the obvious fiscal responsibilities. To convert the millions of paper files to digital records will be expensive. The Federal stimulus Bill has promised anywhere from $44,000 and $65,000 to doctors who convert to electronic records but the funds will be paid in increments over a span of a few years and there are still questions the committee wants answered.
“We must also remember that a shift to electronic files will not just be a financial strain but will require an overhaul of the processes used for treating patients, to make this a smooth transition is key to success”
So, leading executives from the healthcare industry will address some of the key barriers to adoption and standardization is the federal support enough to back the change?
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