I’m Going to RHIO: Your Guide to eHealth Speak
Are you confused about the eHealth jargon? Ever wondered about the difference between an EMR and EHR? You've come to the right place. Check out our guidebook to eHealth lingo.
- Electronic health record (EHR)—A collection of data in electronic form that is retrieved through HIE from one or more EMRs, PHRs, or other HIT systems.
- Electronic medical record system (EMR)—Software that is used within a physician practice, hospital, or other health care entity to capture and store medical records electronically.
- Electronic prescribing (ePrescribing)—The bi-directional transfer of data between a prescriber (a physician or physician extender with prescriptive rights) and a pharmacy. The act of printing out a prescription on a printer alone does not meet the definition of ePrescribing.
- Health information exchange (HIE)—The act of exchanging health information that has been stored electronically. HIE is not an organization, but an activity. It is a verb, not a noun.
- Patient health record (PHR)—An electronic record of health data that is primarily developed and maintained by the patient or a caregiver.
- Regional health information organization (RHIO)—An organization that has a formal structure and a mission that involves conducting or supporting electronic health information exchange (HIE) in a community, state, or region.
An example of how the components can work together
A community hospital and local practices develop the technical architecture so they can exchange patient data electronically (HIE). The hospital and practices may set up a separate legal entity—a RHIO—as a neutral organization to set policies and procedures for HIE, obtain financing, and so forth.
The hospital and each of the practices use EMR systems. They may use the same or different EMR products.
A patient who is treated in multiple practices within the RHIO has a separate EMR record in each practice. When the patient presents in the hospital emergency department (ED), the ED physician performs an online search across all EMRs of all RHIO members, as well as the patient’s PHR.
The result is a collection of core health data, such as medication history, problem history, family history, procedure history and allergies. This collection of essential health data constitutes the patient’s electronic health record (EHR).
Last Updated: 7/14/2008