Electronic Medical Record

The electronic medical record (EMR) is steadily replacing the paper record in medical offices and hospitals – more than 50 percent of physicians now report using some form of electronic medical record technologyⁱ. The benefits of capturing and storing patient information in an electronic medical record are significant, allowing healthcare practitioners to:

• Access a patient's comprehensive and current medical information quickly.
• Coordinate care among multiple providers.
• Practice preventative care more easily.
• Get better point-of-care decision support.
• Manage chronic disease more easily.
• Integrate evidence-based clinical guidelines.
• Improve coding and billing accuracy.

In addition to helping improve the quality of care, electronic medical record technology also helps medical practices reduce costs, increase productivity and enhance the bottom line. Understanding how the electronic medical record can transform the medical industry, the federal government now offers financial incentives to practitioners who can demonstrate meaningful use of electronic medical record technology.

Learn more about electronic medical record benefits.

An electronic medical record solution for the smaller medical practice.

There is a great deal of electronic medical records software available to medical practices wanting to convert to digital medical records. But the solutions from many EMR vendors are designed for larger practices or hospitals and require not only a significant capital expense upfront, but an IT staff and budget that can handle ongoing maintenance and upgrades. The cost and complexity of these applications are usually cost-prohibitive for smaller practices and independent practitioners. However, there are alternatives for the smaller practice – an online EMR solution in particular has the potential for enabling the smaller practice to realize the benefits of an electronic medical record system without significant upfront costs or the need for an IT staff. One such solution, Centricity® Advance from GE Healthcare, has the distinction of being one of the first such products certified by the federal government as compliant with the federal guidelines, enabling practitioners to qualify for federal financial incentives.

Get a single solution for electronic health records, patient portal and medical practice management.

Centricity Advance combines electronic health record technology with medical management software and a patient portal. This comprehensive electronic medical solution allows the smaller practice to:

• Quickly view a patient record to see medical history, current medications, test results, drug allergies and more.
• Coordinate care among multiple providers.
• Access medical literature and drug interaction information.
• Improve preventative care by searching for patient demographics.
• Manage the practice more efficiently and cost-effectively.
• Improve revenue cycle management by coding claims more accurately.
• Enable patients to go online to access to their medical records, schedule appointments and refill prescriptions.

Learn more now about Centricity Advance.

ⁱU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): "Electronic Medical Record/Electronic Health Record Use by Office-based Physicians: United States, 2008 and Preliminary 2009" http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/emr_ehr/emr_ehr.htm