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5-1 Reflective Journal: Benefits of a Capital Item
IHP 450
SNHU
June 4,2022
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Deliverable 1 : Explanation of benefits
In the contemporary health care landscape, electronic medical record (EMR) systems are
considered to be extremely useful and effective tools. The National Cancer Institute has defined
EMR as the electronic or digital collection of medical information of patients that can be stored on
a computer system (NCI Dictionary of Cancer terms. National Cancer Institute, 2021). The key
benefits associated with EMR have been identified as well as the methods that can be adopted for
estimating such benefits.
Benefits of EMR
• One of the chief benefits of EMR is that it helps to collect, store, and use patient health
information in the electronic format, thereby replacing the traditional approach that
involves the manual approach. Thus, the possibility of errors or mistakes gets reduced
considerably in the health care domain.
• Since EMR facilitates automation, the productivity and performance of the health care
staff get improved. As the staff members do not have to manually input information, they
get an opportunity to focus on other areas that can enhance their productivity and
efficiency in the delicate and dynamic health care setting.
• The integration of digital technology in the medical domain can lead to the creation of
more aligned and streamlined workflows. It can positively influence the quality of health
care services that is ultimately delivered to patients.
• Since all the patient health information is stored in a single place, it is possible for health
care staff to make informed and timely decisions that can positively impact the health
outcome of patients.
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• The integration of an effective electronic medical record in the health care context can
help to get an in-depth insight into the major areas of concern that need to be addressed so
that the quality of health solutions can be upgraded (Uslu & Stausberg, 2021).
Ways to estimate the benefits of EMR
A number of methods can be employed for the purpose of estimating the benefits associated
with electronic medical record systems. It is vital to evaluate the benefits that can arise by
adopting the innovative technology so that appropriate decisions can be made about whether the
system must be introduced in a health care setting or not.
• One of the key ways is to evaluate the performance of the health care staff. As EMR is a
digital method that facilitates automation, it can reduce the need for the staff members to
do any manual processes. Instead, their performance must be improved as they would get
extra time to focus on other health care service delivery areas.
• Another way of estimating the benefits of EMR is by identifying the change in the errors
relating to patient health data. The integration of the innovative solution reduces the
involvement of human factors in the data management process. Thus, the possibility of
errors must decrease, thereby increasing the benefits of EMR.
• The health outcome of the patients must be improved after the implementation of the EMR
solution in the health care setting. By using the solution, the digital system would be able
to make timely, accurate, and well-informed decisions relating to the health care aspects of
the patients. Such methods can be adopted to estimate the benefits associated with an
EMR system (Choi et al., 2013).
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Deliverable 2: Memo
To: Board of Directors of the Community Health Center
From: Lauretta Krakue, Assistant to CFO
Date: June 01, 2022
Subject: e Justification relating to the purchase of the electronic medical record system
In the digitalized era, it is imperative for the community health center to introduce a new
and well-functional electronic medical record (EMR) system. As the health needs of the
community members are extremely diverse in nature, the introduction of an EMR system can play
an instrumental role in improving the performance and productivity of the health care staff. An in-
depth justification has been presented in the memo to purchase the EMR.
Role of EMR system
In the health care domain, an EMR system can be used for maintaining electronic records
of health-related information of patients. This technology-based tool enables health care staff to
store, manage, and collect sensitive patient health information using a single comprehensive
platform. The use of EMR is regarded to be a fundamental necessity since diverse stakeholders
such as physicians, nurses, clinical practices, as well as patients can derive benefits from it.
Sarfraz has argued that EMR systems are much superior to traditional or conventional systems
that rely on manual data handling processes. Since EMRs strengthen the level of automation when
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it comes to managing patient data, it creates opportunities to improve and strengthen the
performance of health care organizations (Sarfraz et al., 2020).
Cost-benefit analysis of purchasing the EMR system
In order to justify the integration of an EMR solution in the specific health care context, a
detailed cost-benefit analysis has been presented. The adoption of an EMR solution can give rise
to both costs as well as benefits. One of the key cost elements is the need for high capital costs to
integrate the innovative solution. In order to implement the innovative solution, a health care
facility must have adequate finance and funds available. Furthermore, after implementing an
EMR solution, it is vital to evaluate the training needs of the staff and design suitable training and
development opportunities for them. After the implementation of the innovative solution, it is
vital for a healthcare facility to regularly upgrade the solution so that it will not get obsolete.
Similarly, emphasis must be laid on cybersecurity aspects so that the sensitive patient health
information would not get compromised (Choi et al., 2013).
A broad range of benefits may arise in the health care domain by adopting an EMR
solution. One of the main benefits of the automation of processes relating to data handling is that
it can lead to streamlining of workflow. It can also contribute to the improved performance and
productivity of the health care staff. By adopting an EMR solution, it is possible to reduce manual
processes, and thus, the possibility of errors and mistakes can be controlled in a better way. The
improvement in the work processes can ultimately lead to a better quality of health care services
that is delivered to the patients. Since the benefits associated with the adoption of EMR surpass
the associated costs, the community health center must purchase an electronic medical record
system (Hoover, 2016).
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Thank You
References
Choi, J. S., Lee, W. B., & Rhee, P. L. (2013). Cost-benefit analysis of electronic medical record
system at a tertiary care hospital. Healthcare informatics research, 19(3), 205-214.
Hoover, R. (2016). Benefits of using an electronic health record. Nursing2020, 46(7), 21-22.
NCI Dictionary of Cancer terms. National Cancer Institute. (2021). Retrieved June 1, 2022, from
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/electronic-medical-
record
Sarfraz, M., Al-Hussainan, A. F., Mohammad, F., & Al-Azmi, H. (2020). An Electronic Medical
Record System. International Journal of Extreme Automation and Connectivity in
Healthcare (IJEACH), 2(1), 68-102.
Uslu, A., & Stausberg, J. (2021). Value of the Electronic Medical Record for Hospital Care:
Update From the Literature. Journal of medical Internet research, 23(12), e26323.
