In 2004, President Bush called for the extensive use of electronic medical records (EMRs) within ten years. Among the benefits stemming from the use of EMRs are improved quality of care and greater efficiency. In spite of the confirmed improvement in health care delivery, studies have found widespread use of EMRs remain low among health care providers. On October 6, 2005, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) established three partnerships through contracts with private, non-profit entities to address EMR certification, interoperability standards and address variations in privacy and security practices (for more information, see the HHS release). The health IT partnerships will: 1) create and evaluate processes for harmonizing health information standards; 2) develop criteria to certify and evaluate health IT products; 3) and develop solutions to address variations in business policies and state laws that affect privacy and security practices that may pose challenges to the secure communication of health information. As part of the contracts, these partnerships will deliver reports to the American Health Information Community, a new federal advisory committee that will provide recommendations to HHS on how to make health records digital and interoperable. The idea of switching from paper medical records to electronic medical records have caused much debate over privacy and security issues as well as the way health information will be collected. Currently, most healthcare providers still manage health records in a paper format. In light of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the need for increased utilization of EMRs has been immense. A program called Katrina Health was created to quickly develop electronic health records (EHRs) for those displaced by the hurricane. Since the launch of Katrina Health, health care organizations and providers have been looking into the best ways to make personal health information inter-operable and secure while protecting patients’ privacy. Advantages and Disadvantages Many individuals have expressed eagerness to use EMRs while others are skeptical of its structure and fear this is another opportunity for identity thieves and hackers to steal people’s information. Advantages Electronic medical records can offer a host of benefits to health care providers and their patients. These include: Patient Access. EMRs can allow patients to view and monitor their information i.e. refilling prescriptions, how to take their medicine, diagnosis, etc. Enhance Patient-Provider Communication. EMRs can rid the communication barrier between providers and patients. They can also improve health literacy i.e. explanations of test results and treatments. Efficient delivery of care and patient safety. EMRs help avoid duplicate testing and over utilization of services, identify missed procedures and services, provide legible prescriptions which could be filled more accurately and minimize risk of life-threatening drug interactions. Public Health Measures. Public health officials could easily detect an outbreak of disease and determine what measures are needed to protect the community. Disadvantages The disadvantages of EMRs that pose a significant risk to patients include the following: Privacy. Many are concerned with the vulnerability and sensitivity of electronic records and others having access to their health information. Accuracy. Who will be in charge of viewing, interpreting and entering health data into the system? What Products and Services Are Right for You? There are over 200 different EMRs and types of practice management software to choose from. Health care providers are faced with the challenge of having to sort through the vast number of vendors offering these products and services that will meet their needs. Before selecting a vendor and their software, consider the following steps that can be useful in transitioning to EMRs. Step 1: Assess Your Patients' Interest in Electronic Medical Records. You may want to conduct a survey to determine your patients' comfort level with using the Internet, their interest level in various features and their willingness to pay for access to the system. Step 2: Evaluate What Your Needs Are. Identify what functions are imperative to your practice. (e.g., secure messaging, patient education, appointment scheduling). Also, decide what type of product/software will be fit your objectives. Step 3: Search for Products and Services. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is producing standards for personal health records (PHRs) and maintains a web site (http://www.myphr.com) that provides information on specific applications and over 60 commercial and freeware PHR products. So far, three Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans (Louisiana, Alabama, and Horizon of New Jersey) are planning to develop EHRs for their members and providers. They feel this will improve access and add new features such as e-prescribing services and inter-operable records that will create more comprehensive data. Microsoft has developed “.net technology”, a patient portal platform that can be linked directly to the EMRs of hospitals. This will enable patients to update their contact information, ask billing questions, renew and refill prescriptions, request laboratory test results and obtain other personalized medical information. Paper medical records will be a thing of the past and EMRs will be the way health care providers and organizations improve the quality of health care. Physicians can monitor the workings of the Health Information Technology effort as well as submit comments or concerns at: www.hhs.gov/healthit/ahic.html.