Broken record

First in a series: The EMR is not the cost saver that it is hyped to be | Matt Anderson

Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg Via Getty Images

The electronic medical record (EMR), or computer charting, theoretically allows "doctors and other healthcare professionals to consolidate, store, retrieve, and share medical information about an individual's entire medical history with the goal of making paper records obsolete, saving money and reducing medical errors." Such is the official definition. President Obama says use of the EMR will save $81 billion and will help fund his healthcare overhaul. But despite years of use by many medical organizations, these goals have not been realized.

Study after study finds the EMR does not save money over paper charting. Also, the EMR's effect on medical errors is a mixed bag, with some studies showing improvement in the accuracy of transmitting doctor's orders, but most showing less accuracy than paper charting in other areas.

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March 27, 2010, Vol. 25, No. 6

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