EMR vs EHR : What are the Differences & Benefits?

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) were developed in 1992 to enhance medical treatments and eliminate paper records. However, many people are confused about their usage, differences, and services. Also, many healthcare professionals use both terms interchangeably.

As a healthcare software development company, we have explored this topic for you and tried to clear out the confusion between EMR and EHR. We have also added, “What kind of benefits do these electronic medical records and electronic health records systems offer, and most importantly, what is the core difference between the two?”

1. What is EMR (Electronic Medical Record)?

Electronic medical records store medical information of a patient like medical history, or any recent diagnosis, you will find these records in an EMR system. These records are just replacements for paper. Otherwise, everything remains the same.

Here’s what cancer.gov says about the definition of EMR.

Healthcare professionals have access to data online for the betterment of patient care. Healthcare professionals such as doctors, and nurses can communicate effectively as they can check the data whenever they need to and prescribe accurate diagnoses, medications, and further treatment.

Healthcare organizations can focus more on optimal patient care. It is a safe bet to say that after the rise of computers and the internet, things have become pretty much interesting. Healthcare providers can no longer survive without these tools, as they streamline the transfer and management of patient’s records and medical histories. In a typical EMR report, you can find the patient’s medical history, immunization dates, past, and current diagnosis, anything he or she is allergic to, lab results, and the further treatment recommended.

The era of e-prescribing began with EMRs. Here you get precise patient medical information. This system minimizes the risk of mistakes or misconceptions. Additionally,  it is compliant with HIPAA regulations, ensuring a high level of security.

1.1 Pros of EMR

Here are some of the major advantages of using EMR – 

Accuracy

Every clinic or hospital that deals with a patient’s medical information faces some kind of difficulty in managing and securing it. This is why they require a fully integrated system like EMR that can help in managing as well as safeguarding the patient’s personal and medical data. Besides this, these systems also help in transferring all the available data into the billing system which makes it easier for the accounts team to generate bills.

Quicker Access to Patient Information

With the help of EMRs, healthcare providers can easily transfer the data of their patients from one department to another. When this is possible, doctors from different specialties can get their patient’s history with other health issues easily, which is very important for providing comprehensive care.

Legibility and Transparency of Online Records

EMR helps medical organizations eliminate misunderstandings related to doctors’ prescriptions. This is because digital documents that contain a patient’s medical history are easily generated on the system. Besides this, doctors can also edit and sign the prescriptions online and store them for future requirements. 

Lower Administrative Costs

EMRs have been beneficial in saving administrative costs for almost every healthcare provider. The hospitals that are using EMRs can reduce the costing that goes behind medical papers, extra staff for managing patients’ details, and much more. 

Great Speed of Orders Initiation

The order for medicines or laboratory tests can be immediately sent with the help of EMR systems. Now, the patients don’t have to wait in queue to place their orders. As soon as they visit their doctor, they can order their prescribed medicines or book an appointment for their laboratory reports suggested by their doctors.

Accessibility

Data that is stored in EMR is available 24/7 which is completely unlike the traditional medical record filing system. This continuous availability helps both patients and doctors to access the prescriptions, lab reports, or prescriptions. It also eliminates the chances of information loss.

To give you a summarized version of the benefits of EMR, here’s what Dr. Donna Manca writes about electronic medical records.

1.2 Cons of EMR

Here are some of the disadvantages that come with using EMR – 

Prone to Hacking

There have been cases where medical records were stolen in the black market. Many healthcare providers faced this issue as hackers got access to their systems and patient’s data got stolen. This is why, while using EMR, hospitals need to be careful in data securing.

🚨 MASSIVE DATA BREACH AT CHANGE HEALTHCARE IMPACTS MILLIONS OF AMERICANS

A ransomware attack on UnitedHealth-owned Change Healthcare in February 2024 led to one of the largest data breaches in U.S. history, affecting potentially over 100 million people.

The breach disrupted… pic.twitter.com/UbkcpHK7qj

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 18, 2024

Risk of Violating Privacy Laws

When clinics and hospitals along with other healthcare service providers decide to take their patient’s records to a digital platform, they need to take care of the privacy policies and follow them to protect the information. The organizations and their staff members must follow data protection laws.

Lack of Interoperability

Hospitals have to manage various platforms because of the lack of interoperability between different EMR platforms. This situation can lead to increased costs for any healthcare organization.

2. What is EHR (Electronic Health Record)?

EHR (Electronic Health Record) are digital-based reports containing patient health information. EHR software allows healthcare providers to find everything related to patients’ medical history including their current prescribed medicines, real-time diagnosis, lab results, immunization dates, treatments prescribed, and many more.

Here, EHR includes:

• Patient portals
• The contact information of the patient
• How many times have they visited a doctor or any other clinicians involved?
• Are they allergic?
• Do they carry insurance?
• What are their family records or demographic data?
• Crucial details about lab results or any surgeries performed to date.

An EHR system can effectively diagnose a patient and enable clinicians to access their full medical information. This 360-degree view of the patient allows healthcare providers to make the decision. Knowing everything in advance also makes them take preventive measures sooner. The scope of manual errors seems to be decreasing due to more reliance on technology. As a result, the future looks promising for healthcare practices.

2.1 Pros of EHR

Here are some of the major advantages of using EHR –

Improved Patient Care

EHRs have the capability to offer better analysis of the patient’s health by providing chat values like blood pressure, cholesterol levels, weight tracking, and more. With the help of EHR systems, healthcare providers can send electronic templates to patients, remind them about their scheduled appointments, and more. Besides this, EHR can also help in improving medical information, reminders, and clinical alerts. All these things can improve the patient’s health outcomes. 

Improved Patient Engagement

With the help of EHRs, patients can easily access their health information. This tool not only helps them manage their healthcare routines but also sees to it that the patients are healthy, and they are being active.

Enhanced Privacy and Security

Hospitals use EHR tools because they are specially designed in a way that they can fulfill all medical requirements with robust security measures. These types of healthcare software help healthcare providers protect patient privacy.

Make Data Accessible

Through the patient portal, patients can access their medical history anytime via a digital copy from anywhere on any device. This makes patients aware of their health and allows them to make correct decisions regarding it. Doctors can also navigate to their patients’ comprehensive medical records speedily amongst large amounts of data and monitor treatment progress with an internet connection when not on hospital premises. This will help them quickly prescribe necessary treatments and medications and provide care in case of emergencies. EHRs thus foster the idea of collaborative healthcare. 

This data accessibility benefits patients and doctors and helps in researching and preparing reports about public health. 

Fewer Storage Costs and Demands

While working with an EHR system, healthcare providers don’t require the traditional paper and folders method where all the records are kept physically. This automatically lessens the storage space and eventually even the cost that used to go behind buying cabinets to keep the files. Besides this, hospitals can make use of file storage rooms for other things, such as storing medical supplies.

Faster Order Initiation

EHR systems provide easy access to patient’s medical history and personal information, which is very beneficial for doctors as well as laboratories. The reason behind this is doctors can easily check the old prescriptions and reports of the patients in one place and can prescribe new treatments accordingly. In the same manner, imaging centers or labs can get access to patients’ details, which is essential for further tests. Such details of patients are stored in a particular order in EHRs which can be easier to read. 

2.2 Cons of EHR

Here are some of the disadvantages that come with using EHR – 

Privacy and Cybersecurity Issues

Though data storage is safer with EHR, there have been cases where hackers breach the security to get their hands on the patient’s medical details. Such cases happen when the organizations aren’t using certified EHR systems. This is why, even with EHRs, healthcare providers have to be alert and ensure the highest level of security for their patient’s privacy. 

High Implementation and Maintenance Costs

The use of EHRs is very beneficial but it also comes with some financial obstacles. These include high upfront costs, routine technology maintenance, expensive technology implementation, transitioning from the traditional approach to the eHealth approach, and more. This is why healthcare providers sometimes don’t prefer EHR systems. 

Frequent Updating Required

When any hospital is using an EHR system and has partnered with other healthcare professionals like pharmacists and personal trainers who have their own electronic health record system, hospitals have to keep their systems updated. This ensures that no important details about the patient’s health, appointments, or reports are missed. This frequent updating of the systems can be a bit of a hectic task. 

3. Difference Between EMR and EHR?

According to healthit.gov, the terms “electronic medical record” and “electronic health record” (or “EMR” and “EHR”) are used interchangeably. Meanwhile, you will find lots of debate going on over platforms like  Quora about the difference between these two.

Moreover, this EMR vs. EHR debate is not limited to Quora, Take a look at what people are discussing on Twitter.

Well, you will find out what’s the difference between these two below.

Over the years, EMRs and EHRs have become more powerful and robust, providing healthcare professionals with a number of tools to help improve patient care quality and increase revenue. While there are differences between the two, EHR and EMR software offers a number of the same features and functionalities.

Since we have covered both EMRs and EHRs, now it’s time to spot the difference between the two. One of the obvious differences is in the terminology:  EMR stands for electronic medical record, while EHR refers to electronic health record. Apart from this, EMR (electronic medical record) can be considered a digitized sort of paper record. Much like traditional paper-based records, an EMR includes patient’s vital information, such as medical history, their latest diagnosis reports, lab tests, and further treatment options. Whereas, an EHR (Electronic Health Record) is more detailed and descriptive. In addition to all the aspects mentioned above, this one assists clinicians by recommending relevant medications and treatments. Here, one can easily communicate with their patients in real time.

Another differentiating factor between the two is accessibility. Professionals can access EHRs at any time, but that’s not the case with EMRs. This brings us to difference number three, EMR is great when it comes to cybersecurity, whereas EHR, which contains more information, is more prone to cyberattacks.

With the help of EMRs, healthcare professionals can easily track and monitor health progress. They can quickly identify patients who are due for checkups, and keep tabs on them such as heart rate monitoring, is the medication working, how is their blood pressure or how is their sugar level, etc. It acts as a bird-eye view for doctors, nurses as well as patients.

By using EHRs, healthcare professionals aren’t just limited to taking care of their patients they can go beyond. For example, here it is possible to share the entire medical information of the patient with other healthcare consultants. After all, it is all about relevant team effort. Here there is no one person responsible, it’s the entire team that has to take responsibility.

4. Which One to Choose From EMR vs EHR For Your Organization?

Both EMRs (electronic medical records) and EHRs (electronic health records) are beneficial for healthcare providers as they both offer unique values. Some hospitals use both of these systems together for their medical practice. But it depends on the organization’s requirements. 

Generally, hospitals and larger healthcare provider organizations use EHRs as they can offer a comprehensive view of patient’s health. Besides this, EHRs also help organizations to track their patient’s data over time and help in creating a patient-specific health plan. On the other side, individual practices use EMRs. EMR systems can offer the easiest way to collect patient data and store it. It helps healthcare providers and patients to manage medical history and carry out clinical tasks easily. 

This means that both EMRs and EHRs have their own significant values for healthcare practices. EMRs can help in focusing on single-patients and EHRs can help hospitals create interoperability. Therefore, organizations should choose any one of these tools accordingly.

5. Conclusion

With the advancement of healthcare technologies, digitization of patient data has become necessary for efficient diagnosis and treatment. EMRs (electronic medical records) and EHRs (electronic health records) are the two prominent approaches getting adopted rapidly by healthcare institutions. We saw that EMR maintains a patient’s data according to a specific healthcare provider. It’s the doctor’s medical narrative of a particular patient. An EHR is a wholesome digital archive illustrating a person’s entire healthcare journey, containing treatments at every healthcare institution instead of a single one. 

Both EMRs and EHRs are effective solutions for managing patient health records as healthcare institutions advance toward data-driven decision-making. The choice depends on the requirements of healthcare organizations. Understanding the differences between them is important to making informed choices and increasing the quality of healthcare services. With time, the healthcare industry is moving steadily towards adopting EHRs, which require a proper approach and execution.