Preparing for Future Standards by Implementing an Electronic Health Record System Now

Preparing for Future Standards by Implementing
An Electronic Health Record System Today

Standards begin with basic definitions. What is an electronic health record (EHR)? The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has defined EHRs as encompassing:
The longitudinal collection of electronic information pertaining to an individual’s health and healthcare; Immediate electronic access—by authorized users only—to person- and population-level information; Provision of knowledge and decision support to enhance the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care; and

The importance of EHR systems to patient safety and quality of care has been well established.2 Nevertheless the rate of adoption has been slow. Underlying and contributing to the delay is a lack of nationwide standards for the collection, coding, classification, and exchange of clinical and administrative data.3 Development of these standards is considered a national priority, however, and is well underway through numerous standard-setting organizations. For some behavioral health and human service organizations that do not need a complete EHR the standards may not seem important. For others these standards can serve as a helpful guide.