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Definition: EHR


(Electronic Health Record) A computerized medical record for an individual that includes data from more than one healthcare organization. The first medical records were known as "electronic medical records" (EMRs), and although both terms are often used synonymously, an EMR often refers to a single healthcare event, whereas an EHR includes the patient's history.

The push to adopt comprehensive electronic documentation between doctors' offices and hospitals intensified after the RAND corporation published a study in 2005. The research stated that America's healthcare industry was expected to save more than $80 billion annually and improve the quality of care when EHR became a reality.

EHR Is the Official Term
The CMS program that reimburses healthcare providers for adopting electronic records officially embraces the EHR term and requires the use of certified EHR technology (see EHR Incentive Program). See HL7, HIE, VLER and healthcare IT.