An EMR (electronic medical record) is a real-time patient health record with access to evidence-based decision support tools that can be used to aid clinicians in decision making. The EMR can automate and streamline a clinician's workflow, ensuring that all clinical information is communicated. It can also prevent delays in response that result in gaps in care. The EMR can also support the collection of data for uses other than clinical care, such as billing, quality management, outcome reporting, and public health disease surveillance and reporting.

Furthermore, an EMR may contain  clinical applications that can act on the data contained within its repository; -- for example, a clinical decision support system (CDSS), a computerized provider order entry system (CPOE), a controlled medical vocabulary, or a results-reporting system. In general terms, EMRs are clinician-focused in that they enhance or augment the workflow of clinicians or administrators. EMRs are said to be interoperable if they are able to exchange data using standardized data transmission formats.

Implementation of an EMR also creates issues related to identification of stakeholders within a community or region and getting their buy-in, legal issues related to cross-institutional data sharing, security and privacy of shared records over potentially insecure network lines, and patient access to and augmenting their own data in electronic format (using the Web, for example).

For information on selection of an EMR, please visit the following sites:

http://www.cchit.org

http://ehrdecisions.com/incentive-programs/