Despite the concern some people have about to privacy, electronic health records provide many benefits for you, the average patient. The US government and Chicago Chiropractic has advocated the move to electronic record keeping for both economic and practical reasons, as it is more efficient and helps reduce the likelihood of medical errors. Following are a few of their main benefits.
All your health information is kept in one place and is easily accessible. If you either switch doctors or are traveling and need to see a physician in a different part of the country, your medical records don’t have to be sent from one place to another.
It keeps you from having to repeatedly fill out the same information. How many times have you had to fill out the same basic form to communicate your health history to different medical professionals? With your health history being kept in one place, you don’t have to remember every single procedure and medication you’ve had every time you see Dr. Kauf.
It reduces the likelihood of medical errors. An electronic record eliminates the possibility of forgetting about a drug or procedure you had that may influence your current doctor’s prescription. This saves time, money, and lives!
You also have access to your own records online at any time. Being able to see your health history can be very useful. With electronic health records, you can keep track of things over time. This might include such useful information as your blood pressure measurements, cholesterol levels, weight and other important factors related to your health.
Prescriptions can be submitted electronically. If you’ve ever looked at the prescription your doctor wrote for your pharmacist, you will probably agree it’s a miracle you ever receive the right medication, based on the illegible scribble on the small piece of paper your doctor has provided. Electronic prescriptions cannot be lost or misread.
These are just a few of the benefits that electronic health records provide to the average patient. All in all, the benefits of this system far outweigh any possible risks to you and your family.
