Digital technology is constantly driving renovations worldwide; in this paper, the medical world’s transformation from technology will be discussed, specifically electronic health records. The scope of medicine brims with information, which demands a smooth flow of information within an electronic health care infrastructure. Many electronic health databases are in use today, encompassing various clinical functions and influencing the way care is delivered and compensated. Amongst many electronic health records (EHRs), one healthcare information system that has been attracting attention across many hospitals is EPIC (Electronic Patient Information Chart).
EPIC delivers the promise of being user-friendly, multi-functional …show more content…
In December 2009, the Department of Health and Human Services published an interim final rule to certify EHRs to support the achievement of Meaningful Use (Thurston, 2014). “Meaningful Use” is defined as the utilization of a certified HER technology to improve healthcare quality, safety, efficiency by reducing health disparities, including patients and families in their care, promoting care coordination, and upholding the integrity of private health information (Thurston, 2014). Meaningful Use, in a health information technology context, defines minimum U.S. government standards for using EHRs in exchanging patient clinical data amongst healthcare providers, insurers, and patients themselves. This ease of exchange and communication between different providers is the basis of Meaningful Use: interoperability to better coordinate care (Porer, 2014). The expected results of Meaningful Use are enhanced patient outcomes, increased transparency and efficiency, and empowerment, which all contribute towards an overall healthier population (Thurston, …show more content…
Stage 1, which began in 2010, focused on promoting adoption of EHRs. Organizations must meet 14 core objectives and 15 total clinical quality measures, with reporting through attestation for a period of 90 days for first year and 1 year subsequently. Stage 2 aims to increase health information exchange between providers and promote patient engagement by giving patients secure online access to their health information. The core objectives of Stage 2 states that patients should be able to automatically track medications, use an electronic medication administration record, and receive secure electronic messages from providers that relay relevant health information. Stage 3, which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rule makers are writing from late 2014 through mid-2016, will focus on robust health information exchange and is shaping up to be the most challenging and detailed level yet for healthcare providers (Andrews, 2015). Unlike Stage 1, Stages 2 & 3 focus on the use of clinical decision support, and Stage 3 will expand on that by encouraging its use to be easier and more efficient for the clinician (Andrews,