Tech & Innovation in Healthcare

Question: At our small practice, we often use the terms EMR and EHR interchangeably, but our new IT manager recently told us that they are two completely different things. Is that true?

Georgia Subscriber

Answer: Yes, your IT staffer is correct. Many people incorrectly switch up electronic health record (EHR) for electronic medical record (EMR), but they actually refer to two specific types of electronic records.

An EHR is a comprehensive, digital accounting of a patient’s health and treatment history. An EHR includes the myriad of specialists and services that a patient has visited and received over time — with all that accumulated clinical data in one place. Additionally, EHRs collate patients’ data from other healthcare platforms, too, including hospitals, labs, diagnostic imaging providers, pharmacies, and more.

On the other hand, an EMR is just the digital version of a patient’s chart created for a specific provider or practice. It usually includes a patient’s medical history, the clinical and personal notes that the organization adds, and other important health information like diagnoses, treatments, surgeries, immunizations, and referrals.

Bonus: Personal health records (PHRs) follow along the same vein as EMRs and EHRs — but they are usually established and managed by patients. PHRs are often used by patients as a resource and can include medical and family histories, home monitoring statistics, and lists of specialists and visits that could be helpful in coordinating care.