Electronic Medical Records

The Transition to Computerized Medical Records

Electronic records, esepcially electronic medical records, as a technology, are a logical progression in advancing the ability of the healthcare industry to provide more comprehensive care options more quickly. As electronic medical records (EMR) systems continue to proliferate with further Electronic Health Records (EHR) implementation, the state of health information management (HIM) becomes more agile and patient-centered.

AHIMA sees these changes to computerized records as extremely beneficial. As such, AHIMA supports the continued transition from paper-based medical records systems to electronic records (EMR) systems through the e-HIM® initiative. This initiative encourages a philosophical evolution in the way health information management is approached, to help realize improvements in both cost and quality.

e-HIM® Resources

To foster a greater assimilation of electronic medical records practices into the current standard of health information exchange, AHIMA supports the goals of e-HIM® and computerized medical records by offering a significant number of educational resources. For example, AHIMA's e-HIM® Practice Guidelines offers:

Core Data Sets: A shareable means to record and communicate relevant and timely facts about a patient's care.
Data Dictionary: Guidelines for developing a mutually agreed-upon set of data elements that contain explicitly defined names and definitions.
Implementing E-Signatures: The ability to sign or authenticate entries electronically.
Using the SSN as a Patient Identifier: The positives and negatives of SSN use in healthcare.
And More

EMR Books and Education

To further promote the integration of electronic records and the inherent patient benefits from the transition to computerized medical records, AHIMA offers a number of online courses and educational materials specifically focused on electronic medical records. For information on our web-based electronic medical records courses, and other related courses, please explore our AHIMA Continuing Education: e-HIM® Training opportunities. And, don't forget to take a look at all of the informational resources and articles regarding electronic medical records in the e-HIM section of the site.

For additional information regarding computerized records systems such as electronic medical records and EMR systems, please visit the AHIMA Bookstore, a great resource for books, audio seminars, journal subscriptions, merchandise, and more.

Copyright © 2008 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced, reprinted, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the association.
All contents, including images and graphics, on this Web site are copyrighted by AHIMA unless otherwise noted. You must obtain permission to reproduce any information, graphics, or images from this site. Permission must also be obtained to link to any of AHIMA's Web sites. To request permission, fill out the AHIMA Permissions Request or contact permissions@ahima.org.