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What Are Electronic Medical Records and How Do They Relate To Medical Assistants?

Medical Assistant Wearing A Face Mask

Digitized medical records have helped change and improve the healthcare industry. This modern recordkeeping method has improved the quality of care, reduced medical errors, and improved communication among providers. As part of their administrative duties, medical assistants work closely with these records to ensure patients receive proper, efficient care. Prism Career Institute, offering medical assistant programs in Cherry Hill and West Atlantic City townships in New Jersey, discusses what electronic medical records are and how they are used by medical professionals.

What Are Electronic Medical Records?

Historically, medical records involve numerous file folders for patients. While this method may have worked on many levels as a primary form of recordkeeping in the past, there are some inefficiencies. Patients could have records spread across several doctors’ offices, making the transfer of important medical information a complex process. More so, if a patient decided to move to a new practice, a file containing their medical history would need to be copied and faxed over to the new physician’s office. With this system, many possible issues could arise.

Electronic medical records provide an innovative solution to everyday problems in the healthcare industry and have made accessing necessary patient healthcare information easier for providers. With this way of storing and organizing medical information, providers can take notes within the electronic recordkeeping system, allowing any other necessary providers to view them and add their own comments if necessary.

Advantages of Electronic Medical Records

Electronic medical records have benefited patients and healthcare providers alike. Benefits of this recordkeeping method include:

Improved Patient Outcomes

The software system electronic medical records use can alert healthcare providers to possible complications, such as the allergic reactions patients may experience to certain medications. This benefit can be crucial to a patient’s well-being.

Efficient Overall Care

Authorized physicians and staff from multiple healthcare organizations can work together more efficiently to provide better care for every patient. No longer does a physician need to wait hours or even days for a patient’s records to be delivered. Electronic medical records are available instantaneously.

Fewer Errors

Electronic medical records can help physicians as well as patients by eliminating common mistakes. If a patient has been screened for a condition, all the patient’s physicians can clearly see this to ensure a duplicate screening isn’t recommended.

The Role of a Medical Assistant in Recordkeeping

Healthcare providers and physicians are not the only ones who can access and utilize electronic medical records. If you work as a medical assistant, understanding how to use electronic health records is an important skill. Trained medical assistants often are tasked with entering information into a patient’s electronic medical record, making them highly valuable professionals. Medical assistants responsible for this task and other administrative duties help doctors’ offices operate efficiently for both the staff and patients, ensuring positive experiences.

Explore Medical Assistant Opportunities at Prism Career Institute

If you are interested in this high-demand career path, explore the comprehensive medical assistant program at Prism Career Institute. Throughout our curriculum and externship, students receive the proper training to help prepare them for entering the healthcare industry. After completing the program, students can explore fulfilling career opportunities in a variety of healthcare settings. To receive further information about our medical assistant program at our campuses in Cherry Hill and West Atlantic City townships, NJ, contact us today.