IOM issues EMR guidance

August 1, 2003

An
Institute of Medicine panel yesterday issued a group of eight key functions for safety, quality and care efficiency that electronic medical records should contain, AHA News reports. HHS had requested the IOM�s guidance so that the IOM could assist standards organization Health Level 7 in developing a national electronic health record model, AHA News reports (AHA News, 7/31).

According to the IOM, electronic records should support:

    � Physician access to patient information, such as diagnoses, allergies, lab results and medications;

    � Access to new and past test results among providers in multiple care settings;

    � Computer order entry;

    � Computerized decision-support systems to prevent drug interactions and improve compliance with best practices;

    � Secure electronic communication among providers and patients;

    � Patient access to health records, disease management tools and health information resources;

    � Computerized administration processes, such as scheduling systems; and

    � Standards-based electronic data storage and reporting for patient safety and disease surveillance efforts (National Academies of Science press release, 7/31).


The EHR Collaborative, a consortium of health care groups, will hold public meetings in six U.S. cities next month to collect feedback on the standards (AHA News, 7/31).

HHS expects to have a final EMR model ready in 2004 (iHealthBeat, 7/1).

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