| Aspect | Electronic Health Record (EHR) | Electronic Medical Record (EMR) |
|---|---|---|
| Scope of Information | Comprehensive and includes a patient's overall health information, including medical history, diagnoses, medications, allergies, immunization status, laboratory results, and more. | Primarily focuses on the medical information related to a patient's current and past medical treatments within a specific healthcare provider's organization. |
| Interoperability | Emphasizes interoperability, allowing for the exchange of health information across different healthcare settings and systems, promoting continuity of care. | Primarily designed for internal use within a single healthcare organization and may have limited interoperability outside that organization. |
| Patient-Centered Care | Promotes patient-centered care by providing a holistic view of a patient's health, supporting better-informed clinical decisions, and enhancing care coordination. | Facilitates care delivery within a specific healthcare provider's organization, focusing on the management of medical data related to the patient's interactions with that provider. |
| Accessibility by Patients | Allows patients to access their health information through patient portals, empowering them to actively participate in their care and make informed decisions. | Access by patients may be limited, and if available, it may not provide the comprehensive view of health information found in an EHR. |
| Data Sharing Across Providers | Facilitates data sharing across different healthcare providers, enabling a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to patient care. | Primarily designed for internal use, limiting the sharing of medical information to within the specific healthcare organization using the EMR system. |
| Use Across Healthcare Settings | Designed for use across various healthcare settings, allowing information sharing among hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and other healthcare entities. | Primarily used within a specific healthcare organization, serving the needs of clinicians and staff working within that organization. |
| Care Continuum Support | Supports the continuity of care by providing a seamless flow of health information, enabling healthcare providers to make well-informed decisions based on a patient's complete health history. | Focuses on managing medical data within the context of the care provided by a specific healthcare organization, with less emphasis on information sharing beyond that setting. |
| Government Regulations | Governed by regulations, such as the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), to ensure the security and privacy of patient health information. | Similarly subject to regulations like HIPAA but may have a narrower scope of compliance as it primarily deals with medical records within a specific organization. |
| Examples of Use Cases | Used for population health management, care coordination, data analytics, and research initiatives that require a comprehensive view of patient health information. | Used for clinical documentation, order entry, prescription management, and other tasks related to patient care within a specific healthcare provider's organization. |
| Longitudinal Health Record | Provides a longitudinal health record, allowing for a historical view of a patient's health information over time and across different healthcare encounters. | Offers a longitudinal record of medical treatments and interactions within the specific healthcare organization using the EMR system. |
In summary, an Electronic Health Record (EHR) has a broader scope, supports interoperability, and facilitates comprehensive patient care across different healthcare settings. An Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is more focused on managing medical information within a specific healthcare organization, catering to the needs of clinicians and staff within that organization. The terms are often used interchangeably, but the key distinction lies in the scope and interoperability of the systems