EHRs and electronic medical records (EMRs) are both digital versions of a patient’s medical history, but they differ – importantly – in scope (in terms of their facilitated patient health information spread).

Let’s understand this.

EMR Software

An EMR serves as the digital counterpart to the traditional paper chart found in a clinician’s office. It consolidates patients’ comprehensive medical and treatment history within a single practice. Its primary purpose is to enhance workflow efficiency, facilitate patient data tracking over time, identify individuals due for preventive screenings, and monitor specific parameters such as blood pressure readings or vaccinations.

By leveraging EMRs, healthcare providers can streamline their operations while ensuring the delivery of quality care.

However, as you may have discerned, EMRs are limited because they don’t easily travel outside the practice. If a patient switches doctors, the new doctor might not have access to the previous records unless they’re manually transferred.

EHR Software

On the other hand, EHRs surpass the conventional clinical data gathered solely in a healthcare provider’s office. They encompass a comprehensive perspective of a patient’s care.

In so doing, they consider information from all healthcare professionals involved in a patient’s treatment and their selected family members. Furthermore, authorized providers and staff members can create, manage, and access them across multiple healthcare organizations.

Some of the leading EHRs, in fact, are designed to be accessed by all people involved in the patient’s care—including the patients themselves. This means they can help provide coordinated and efficient care for patients, particularly those with complex conditions requiring care from different healthcare providers.

The Best Choice For Family Practices On A Budget?

In the context of family medicine, EHRs are usually more beneficial.

Their comprehensive, data-democratizing nature allows family physicians to have a holistic view of their patients’ health, which is essential given that they often have to manage a variety of conditions across different age groups. Moreover, the interoperability of EHRs makes it easier to coordinate care with specialists, which is a common requirement in family medicine.

However, because many family medicine clinics operate as small, independent practices, they normally can’t spend exorbitant annual sums on these subscriptions. As a way around this, many practitioners choose to go for cost-effective EMRs, instead; conducting any patient data transfers/intakes manually.