Benefits
According to a survey released on July 20, 2005
by Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and
outsourcing company, a
majority of U.S. consumers believe that electronic medical records can provide
valuable benefits, especially during medical emergencies, and can improve
overall medical care.
The
survey, which queried more than 500
U.S.
health care consumers, found that the overwhelming majority of respondents
believe that electronic medical records can:
- improve
the quality of care (93 percent of respondents),
- reduce
the number of treatment errors in hospitals (92 percent of respondents),
- lower
health care costs overall (75 percent of respondents), and
- reduce
the amount of time patients spend waiting in doctors’ offices and
emergency rooms (78 percent of respondents).
HSS Secretary Tommy Thompson estimated that
adoption of EHR systems nationally could save 10% of the nation's current annual
$1.7 trillion health care bill. He also said that EHRs would improve
privacy, better protect medical records and decrease medical errors while
reducing administrative costs.
Dr. Brent James, vice president for research at
Intermountain Health Care in Salt Lake City, said he believes that savings from
streamlining the health care system with EHR could eventually amount to $400
billion per year.
Other benefits cited by physicians and allied
health users from their systems include:
- improves documentation quality (legible,
organized, complete)
- facilitates better patient communication
- provides built-in protocols and reminders
- improves medication management
- enhances efficiency of signing charts
The
productivity and efficiency gains of an electronic medical record (EMR)
translate into real dollars. Some of the cost benefits:
- reduces
transcription costs
- lowers
labor costs
- reduces
copying expenses
Reference Documents
A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Electronic Medical Records in Primary Care
Can Electronic Medical Record Systems Transform Health Care? Potential Health Benefits, Savings & Costs
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