The Electronic Health Record And The Unlikely Prospect Of Reducing Health Care Costs

Electronic health record (EHR) advocates argue that Electronic health record's lead to reduced errors and reduced costs. Many reports suggest otherwise. The Electronic health record often leads to higher billings and declines in provider productivity with no change in provider-to-patient ratios. Error reduction is inconsistent and has yet to be linked to savings or malpractice premiums. As interest in patient-centeredness, shared decision making, teaming, group visits, open access, and accountability grows, the Electronic health record is better viewed as an insufficient yet necessary ingredient. Absent other fundamental interventions that alter medical practice, it is unlikely that the U.S. health care bill will decline as a result of the Electronic health record alone.