Electronic Medical Records

Electronic medical records (EMRs) or electronic health records (EHRs) are computerized medical history of individual patients' diagnoses and treatments. Before meaningful use of EMRs health care providers used paper charting to handwrite all interactions and data pertaining to the patients' diagnoses and treatment. Although paper charting in the past has helped healthcare professionals evaluate his or her patients, the paper charting system had its problems. Some examples of the problems with paper charting include: misplaced file, accessibility, the physical space required to store the patient's files, the legibility of the provider's notes, etc. The implementation of EMRs will eliminate these problems and more. For example in a survey conducted in August, 2011 providers reported the top benefits of EMRs as greater accessibility of charts, greater legibility of notes, more accurate, and up-to-date patient information, and improves coordination of treatment by more than one provider (Neal, 2011). The moderate benefits of EMRs according to the survey are reduced transcription costs, reduced paperwork, space requirements for filing, improved office communication, and enhanced clinical documentation (Neal, 2011). However, these benefits alone have not been the key driving force of clinics adopting the new technology. The major reason most medical practices have for implementing the new system is to ensure federal reimbursement for meaningful use of EMRs. The healthcare organizations not in compliance with meaningful use of their EMRs system by 2015, will not be reimbursed as much as the organizations who have obtained meaningful use.

In the case study five: "Technology," the physicians in a large private pediatric practice in the city has approached their office manager (Caitlin) requesting her to implement a laptop-based system to be used by all the doctors, nurses, and physician's assistants when evaluating patients (University of Phoenix, 2013). The new system will require the nurses and doctors to log-in and record the all interactions and data pertaining to the patients' healthcare.

Before implementing the new technology Caitlin must first identify the challenges faced by the health care organization. Caitlin must also identify the strategies that may be used to tackle the conflict, and provide suggestions for how the strategies can be implemented. Caitlin also must identify the role collaboration