US government greenlights electronic medical records

Iria · Jul 19, 2006, 07:02 PM

Source: Ars Technica
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Those of us who have spent any amount of time living the Office Space life can attest to the fact that the paperless office we've been hearing so much about over the last 20 or so years remains just out of reach. That is especially true within the medical field, where patient records continue to be kept primarily in dead-tree format, making copying and transferring them from one office to another cumbersome and costly.

Change may be on the horizon, however, as a government-funded group has certified the first products capable of handling electronic medical records. Currently, 14-17 percent of doctors use electronic records software, but its adoption has been hampered both by high cost and the lack of any sort of certification process. The cost remains high—around US$20,000 for licenses, data entry, and training—but the US has at least overcome the certification hurdle.

Jul 19, 2006, 07:02 PM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 76	US government greenlights electronic medical records Source: Ars Technica __________ Those of us who have spent any amount of time living the Office Space life can attest to the fact that the paperless office we've been hearing so much about over the last 20 or so years remains just out of reach. That is especially true within the medical field, where patient records continue to be kept primarily in dead-tree format, making copying and transferring them from one office to another cumbersome and costly. Change may be on the horizon, however, as a government-funded group has certified the first products capable of handling electronic medical records. Currently, 14-17 percent of doctors use electronic records software, but its adoption has been hampered both by high cost and the lack of any sort of certification process. The cost remains high—around US$20,000 for licenses, data entry, and training—but the US has at least overcome the certification hurdle.