What’s the Difference between EMR vs EHR?
If you work in a physician’s office or community clinic, you probably already know the importance of quality practice management software. Finding the best healthcare software systems available is the first step in keeping accurate digital records that can expedite everyday office activities, thus increasing revenue and offering better service to your patients. In fact, electronic medical records improve overall efficiency by over 6% a year.
When searching for the perfect system for your practice, you may be confused by the difference between electronic medical records (EMR) and electronic health records (EHR). The truth is, there isn’t that much of a difference, but there are some distinctions to note when selecting what kind of software is right for your practice.
What is an EMR vs EHR?
What is an Electronic Medical Record (EMR)?
EMR software is used by clinicians for diagnosis and treatment purposes. It’s a digital translation of the physical paper records doctors use to view the treatment patient’s medical history and clinical data.
The central issue with electronic medical records is the difficulty to send them outside of the practice. In some cases, EMRs have to be printed and mailed to specialists, negating, the benefits of having EMR software in the first place. A 2014 survey by the American College of Physicians found that family practice doctors spent an extra 48 minutes per day on EMRs, which is valuable time that’s better spent with patients.
What is an Electronic Health Record (EHR)?
EHR software offers everything that an EMR does, but is more inclusive and covers more information about a patient’s history. EHRs enable physicians to send patient records to specialists anywhere in the country, and they are even accessible to the patients themselves, promoting interoperability.
About 75% of physicians who have adopted an EHR software reported that their system meets federal “meaningful use” criteria, which is an important factor in any medical practice.
What is the difference between EMR and EHR?
It is absolutely crucial that your practice or clinic has some sort of management software, whether it be EMR or EHR. In 2023, very few medical practices are utilizing paper charts, and are instead opting for digital solutions to store and process patient data. However, based on the information above, it would be hard to make an argument that electronic health records don’t have an advantage over electronic medical records. While both meet HIPAA compliance,
Here are some key differences between EMR versus EHR:
Electronic Medical Records:
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EMRs are used by healthcare providers and healthcare organizations to record diagnoses of a patient’s health and recommended treatment plans.
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Unlike EHR, an EMR system typically is siloed to one medical practice, making it difficult to share patient health information with other healthcare providers.
Electronic Health Records:
- An EHR enables healthcare providers and healthcare organizations to share a patient’s medical information with other care providers or authorized organizations, like pharmacies.
- As a patient moves to a new doctor’s office or needs to visit a specialist healthcare professional, they need to share records. An EHR makes this process easy, so a patient’s electronic records move with them.
- Unlike most EMRs, EHR systems can enable patients to access their medical history when coupled with practice management software, empowering them to understand their healthcare in detail. This enhanced interoperability allows an entire care team to evaluate patient health holistically.
Is EMR or EHR right for your medical practice?
Understanding the value of transitioning from paper records of patient information isn’t hard to accomplish. What you should understand is whether an EMR or EHR software solution is right for your practice.
EMR software is useful if your practice doesn’t regularly share patient medical information with other practices in the healthcare industry. If your practice wants the ability to optimize the patient experience and share important health records with other organizations, then an EHR software is right for your medical practice.
Benchmark Systems is a leading provider of cloud-based healthcare solutions – including EHR.
Is your medical practice looking to transition from EMR to EHR or searching for a new EHR vendor? Benchmark Systems offers a top-of-the-line electronic health records solution that can be tailored to fit your practice. Our EHR pairs beautifully with practice management software so you can improve overall quality of care and streamline operational workflows.
Benchmark EHR has all the functionality you need to develop exceptional patient charts, including:
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Built-in code recommendations
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Optional patient portal to put health information in the hands of your clients
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Library of meaningful use educational materials
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And so much more.
Contact us today to learn how our company can assist your practice with EHR decision-making, implementation, and optimization.
