Electronic health records (EHRs) are digital reports of patients’ paper charts. They are real-time records that are both client-centered and secure. The federal mandate requiring healthcare providers and organizations to incorporate an electronic health record by 2014 was unrealistic due to several concerns. First, research demonstrates that people have difficulties with accepting changes, particularly in the workplace (Gans, Kralewski, Hammons, & Dowd, 2005). Probably, the government’s directive was resisted by different stakeholders such as board members and clinical and support workers. The requirement was unrealistic since acceptance and positivity were not built in all healthcare institutions to encourage members to adopt the changes. Second, when applying EHRs, facilities encountered several issues such as reductions in productivity and workflow efficiency (Jha et al., 2009).
Moreover, management teams in healthcare organizations could be required to offer additional support to achieve all the objectives of EHRs. Another concern that a healthcare manager could have is about the migration of the existing data, a process that is both time-consuming and wearisome. The management could be worried about transferring private and sensitive patient information, which should always be migrated accurately to guarantee continued care (Jha et al., 2009). It is essential to note that records should be prioritized to know how far information can be transferred. For example, a healthcare manager can decide to start moving the recent files and work his or her way backward. This would go a long way in ensuring that the most recent records are available in an EHR system (Gans et al., 2005; Jha et al., 2009). The issue concerning the migration of data may also be encountered if the management does not assign specific persons to upload all new information that is obtained via hard copies.
References
Gans, D., Kralewski, J., Hammons, T., & Dowd, B. (2005). Medical groups’ adoption of electronic health records and information systems. Health Affairs, 24(5), 1323-1333.
Jha, A. K., DesRoches, C. M., Campbell, E. G., Donelan, K., Rao, S. R., Ferris, T. G.,… & Blumenthal, D. (2009). Use of electronic health records in US hospitals. New England Journal of Medicine, 360(16), 1628-1638.