The Role of the Personal Health Record in EHR

Editor's Notes

• #2 This is a presentation over the role of the personal health records in Electronic Health Record systems. It is aimed at providing education about the Personal Health Record and what it means for you, the physician.
• #4 Our agenda today includes giving you some background over personal health records and electronic health record systems. We will then dive into the benefits and applications of personal health records in a physician’s practice. Then, We discuss some issues regarding personal health records. And Lastly, we will look at what the future holds for the personal health record and what it means for you.
• #5 The acronyms EHR, PHR, and EMR get thrown around a lot so let me define how I am using EHR in this context. The Health Information Management Systems Society defines an Electronic Health Records System as a secure, real-time, point-of-care, patient- centric information resource for clinicians. The EHR aids clinicians’ decision- making by providing access to patient health record information where and when they need it and by incorporating evidence-based decision support. The EHR automates and streamlines the clinician’s workflow, closing loops in communication and response that result in delays or gaps in care. The EHR also supports the collection of data for uses other than direct clinical care, such as billing, quality management, outcomes reporting, resource planning, and public health disease surveillance and reporting.
• #6 This video gives some background about Personal Health Records.
• #7 According to a 2007 article from the California HealthCare Foundation, there are several benefits of using PHRs with your EHR.First, the physician-clinician relationship is enhanced. A PHR can make exchanging information seamless between physician and patient. Records available to both the physician and patient help the patient to be more informed and promotes trust and openness rather than secrecy. Also, PHRs can be seen to make better patients. Patients with an updated PHR are more likely to track and keep up with their own health. This can make them better partners in reaching the common goal of successful treatment.Lastly, PHRs can help to provide better care. Daniel Sands, a primary care physician, tells about how PHRs have allowed him to provide better care to his patients that utilize the system.Some other benefits associated with Personal Health Records and Personal Health Record Systems includes increasing knowledge of potential drug interactions and allergies, avoiding duplicate tests, Improving medication compliance, Improving documentation of communication with patients.
• #9 Now, you may be asking “Why should I make it easier for patients to transfer their information to another provider?, or Who will bear the cost of creating such transactions? and If I make patient information available for sharing online, wont that increase the risk of someone inappropriately obtaining it? Also, What type of data should be available online and what format?These are all significant concerns for doctors, but the answers to these questions are still evolving with the slow adoption of PHRs and EHRs.
• #10 The American Academy of Family Physicians helps doctors in small or medium-sized practices in implementing standards-based EHRs. It is collaborating with other organizations and PHR and EHR Vendors to promote the development and adoption of the Continuity of Care Record Standard. Its main purpose is to enable different EHR systems to share basic clinical information in a variety of settings.This Continuity of Care Record Standard could be well-suited for Personal Health Record Standards allowing better integration of PHRs with EHRs.A continuity of care record consists of information that has been coded or uses standardized nomenclature, not free text. Such records are a departure from traditional medical practices, but these standards are key to realizing the value and future of PHR technology.
• #14 You now may be wondering if your practice is ready to manage an influx of PHRs. With a few key guidelines set by the American Health Information Management Association, physicians should see this as an opportunity to advance their practice. Education and training of providers, staff, and patients is essential to the success of managing PHR in your practiceWell-written policies and procedures are necessary to guide practice staff in supporting patients in their use of PHRs. Staff should be trained on the appropriate responses to give patients when present with hard copy or electronic versions of their PHR. These can often be scripted texts.Also, a practice must determine where the PHR will be filed in its health record system. Careful consideration should be made to this decision since the legal health record may be affected.Some PHR Component Basics include:-A secure central repository for storing patient information.-An online Web portal allowing users to view and maintain the information-An option interface to a provider’s electronic system to enable real-time or batch transfer of data to a central repository to eliminate redundant data entry in two systems.
• #15 As you have seen, having a Electronic Health Records System in place may not be the only key element of digital information in your practice. As the healthcare industry becomes more consumer-driven, physician practices will need to adapt to this environment. The evolving Personal Health Record could have a significant impact on you, your practice, and your patients. We hope this presentation has been valuable to you and your knowledge of the role of personal health records in electronic health record systems.