Care quality and efficiency outcomes
After reading through the information for this issue, a specific question to address never materialized. Thus, this response does not focus on a specific question. Rather, the focus is on whether the civilian healthcare delivery sector should move forward in the implementation of electronic medical record (EMR) technology. The various issues concerning cost, health outcomes, the potential for efficiency gains, physician reluctance to invest on the one hand and physician desires to possess the latest technology on he other hand, and fear of yet another technological innovation rendering EMR technology obsolete are real, and all of the answers have not been provided in unequivocal terms (Beaton, 2008).
Some of the concerns, however, have been addressed effectively. Improved health outcomes wherein EMR technology has been a contributing positive factor have been demonstrated in the military healthcare systems and in the Veterans Administration healthcare system (Raghupathi & Tan, 2008; Wise & Bankowitz, 2009). There is little reason to doubt that EMR technology will not contribute positively to improved health outcomes in civilian healthcare delivery venues (Jones & Kessler, 2010). The cost-effectiveness and efficiency of EMR technology also has been demonstrated by the Veterans Administration (Perry, 2010; Wise & Bankowitz, 2009).
With respect to the fear that future technological innovations will render EMR technology obsolete, the issue is whether the healthcare establishment is going to take the Luddite path to the future. Fear of this type simply stifles innovation and progress. The issue of affordability for individual or for small group practices, however, is a concern that will not go away. The probability is that practice groups in the future will become increasingly larger in size with respect to the number of providers in separate healthcare delivery organiza...