But time is often of the essence in most caregiving scenarios, and because of this, the electronic system became the standard.
The cons of electronic medical records portable#
Even though the portable record-keeping system had become far more commonplace, records were largely paper that had to be physically stored and moved.īusiness technology then became advanced enough that even paper records could be sent electronically, via fax, in cases where an office needed to get in touch with a patient’s family doctor in case of urgent care. Before the 1980s, it was rare to see a computer used at all in private practice, let alone for storing medical information. 2 Then, thanks to the portable medical records model, large hospitals started to provide the same level of service for each patient without worrying that only specific providers had knowledge of that patient.Ĭomputers, of course, really didn’t gain traction in smaller facilities and private practices until they became popular with the general public. At first, these applications were used more for billing and scheduling purposes, and not EHRs specifically. Many of the earliest computer applications in the 1970s were in use at hospitals and government institutions, but very few other places. With portability came the dawn of the computer era. How Portable Records Became Electronic Records
A s EHRs became more affordable and available in the 1980s, they were developed with fields that could be filled in with clinical information and stored as an electronic record. When properly implemented, this model provided a more effective means of communication among members of healthcare teams, while also facilitating the coordination of preventive care and maintenance. Previously, doctors had typically only recorded a patient’s diagnosis and the treatment they provided.ĮHR Infographic – Reasons to Choose Electronic Records Over PaperĪs part of the “problem-oriented” medical record, clinicians began collecting and storing data about a patient’s history. This approach was a breakthrough in medical recording.
Referred to as the “problem-oriented” medical record, this approach added more robust information about the patients and over time evolved to become the medical records we see today. Throughout the 1970s, only the biggest hospitals could use them, and they were used for billing and scheduling.Īt the same time, during the 1960s, a new approach to medical records (still on paper) began to emerge. 1 In the 1960s, EHRs were so expensive that they were only used by the government in partnership with health organizations. The history of EHRs began in the 1960s – the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota was one of the first major health systems to adopt an EHR.
However, the truth is, great advances have been made in the healthcare field, all combined with a rich history. Today, it’s easy to think of electronic health records (EHRs) (also known as electronic medical records) as just a substitute for paper record-keeping and little else.