In a new report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, officials are calling on lawmakers and the healthcare system at large to find ways to improve quality and patient safety through the use of electronic health records.
The National Strategy for Quality Improvement in Healthcare set out a number of goals for improving the quality of care while increasing efficiency in the system by reducing physicians' administrative burdens and helping them collaborate. The use of electronic health records figures prominently in many of the report's proposals.
Officials said that the U.S. healthcare system is currently fragmented and that this reduces efficiency and quality. The Patient Protection Affordable Care Act takes steps to mitigate these hurdles, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.
The report says that electronic health records have the power to reduce paperwork, allow doctors to track all phases of patients' care and give the patient greater say in their own care.
"Gaps and duplication in patient care delivery can be reduced or eliminated through proven technologies such as electronic health records, e-prescribing and telemedicine," the report states.