Electronic Healthcare Record

About
An electronic health record (EHR) is an evolving concept defined as a systematic collection of electronic health information about individual patients or populations. It is a record in digital format that is theoretically capable of being shared across different health care settings. In some cases this sharing can occur by way of network-connected enterprise-wide information systems and other information networks or exchanges. EHRs may include a range of data, including demographics, medical history, medication and allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images, vital signs, personal stats like age and weight, and billing information.

Terminology
The terms EHR, EPR (electronic patient record) and EMR (electronic medical record) are often used interchangeably, although differences between them can be defined. The EMR can, for example, be defined as the patient record created in hospitals and ambulatory environments, and which can serve as a data source for the EHR. It is important to note that an EHR is generated and maintained within an institution, such as a hospital, integrated delivery network, clinic, or physician office, to give patients, physicians and other health care providers, employers, and payers or insurers access to a patient's medical records across facilities.

A personal health record (PHR) is, in modern parlance, generally defined as an EHR that the individual patient controls.

Links

 * Can Electronic Health Record Systems Transform Health Care?
 * Health Information Technology in the United States
 * How to Enable Standard-Compliant Streaming of Images in Electronic Health Records a white paper by Aware Inc.
 * Open-Source EHR Systems for Ambulatory Care: A Market Assessment(California HealthCare Foundation, January 2008)
 * US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)
 * US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), National Resource Center for Health Information Technology
 * ICMCC portal: EHR info and blogs
 * Security Aspects in Electronic Personal Health Record: Data Access and Preservation - a briefing paper at Digital Preservation Europe