EMR Vs EHR: Whats the Difference?

What is the difference between EMR and EHR? Certainly, most know they are acronyms representing Electronic Medical Records and Electronic Health Records, respectively, but what really is the difference?

EMR is at present (1.24.10) the more prevalent term and hot topic, according to present Google search trends. However, careful distinction and differentiation between EMR and EHR will soon lead to the switching of market prevalence of the two terms. Vendors will cease to use these terms interchangeably as the market becomes more aware of their differences. One important point: US health care reform is about EHR adoption and implementation, the term appears countless times in recent legislation whereas EMR not so much.

Okay... what is the actual difference... well again quite literally, EMR and EHR differ in their central term, Medical verses Health. Specifically, the "medical" in EMR implies a practice or physician centered approach to health care. The benefits of EMR solutions originates from improvements in how the physician or practice can use technology to acquire, store and utilize patient information to produce better, safer patient outcomes at reduced costs. EMR systems are specific, often propriety and typically owned by the physician or practice. Although EMR systems may facilitate ease of electronic exchange, interoperability with other systems it is not a central goal of EMR systems.

On that note... EHR is EMR with interoperability built in. The context of EHR is therefore much broader than EMR. The "health" in EHR represents the focus on the patient. EHR is patient centered and thus not specific to achieving goals of any particular physician or practice, nor is it wholly owned by any contributing physician or practice. EHRs are achieved through a collective effort by all participants. It is an aggregate health record for an individual made possible by the joint efforts of all the doctors and staff involved in the individual's health care.

Why is this important? EHR technologies form medical communities. You can think of it as a collection of EMRs that work together to produce one complete and continual health record. Perhaps one very large and comprehensive system might someday be used by all providers. For now, technologies are under way to interconnect existing systems and create the interoperability necessary to achieve the goals of EHR.