Hospitals and medical practices are increasingly using electronic medical records to record and manage patients' healthcare data. The benefits of using these records are that they allow different providers to consolidate and share data about patients' medical history, diagnoses, test results, magnetic imaging, and medication. This type of consolidated record keeping allows different healthcare providers full access to a patient's complete medical record and can help providers avoid duplicating tests or providing medications that are contraindicated. The systems improve communication among different providers. In addition, it can allow providers to more efficiently bill insurance providers, Medicaid, and Medicare for services, and it can save providers time and money compared to traditional means of transcribing medical records.
The major con of using electronic health records is that the data can be compromised, allowing the types of communication that providers want to avoid. Patients' confidential information can be leaked, jeopardizing the patient and his or her ability to secure employment or attain other benefits. In addition, these types of leaks can put the hospital or healthcare provider at legal risk. Records can also be deleted or lost electronically. Electronic systems need multiple layers of protection to remain secure from leaks and hacking. These systems also need to be securely backed up.
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