Does Your Doctor Maintain Electronic Health Records?

Many ambulatory care providers don’t maintain electronic health records, but OMR can access your records and digitize them for you

When doctors don’t have access to a complete, up to date copy of your medical record, the quality and timeliness of care suffers. Electronic health records can help by making it easier for different doctors and care facilities to communicate quickly and effectively with one another about patient care. Unfortunately, many health care providers have not yet transitioned to electronic records, leaving it up to you as a patient to take responsibility for digitizing your own records through a service like OMR.

Facts About Electronic Heath Record Use

In 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic Health Act was passed as part of an effort to improve the quality, safety, and efficient delivery of health care. Though the act offered financial incentives to ambulatory health care providers who implemented digital medical records systems, many providers have still not made the switch to electronic health records, leaving patient populations stuck with cumbersome paper records and slow record sharing processes.

A recent study published in Health Services Research reveals the following facts about disparities in electronic health record implementation:

• Implementation rates vary widely, ranging from 88 percent to 8 percent of all ambulatory care providers in a given region
• The largest variations in implementation rates were found in California, Illinois, and Missouri
• Health care providers serving primarily minority and low income populations are less likely to have electronic records systems
• Electronic records implementation is still cost-prohibitive for many ambulatory care providers, even those in large metropolitan areas

Digitize Your Record with OMR

Fortunately, even if your doctor doesn’t utilize electronic health records, you can still reap the benefits that a digital record can bring, such as improved ease of information sharing between doctors and timelier care. All you have to do is call OMR. We will send a certified field agent to your doctor’s office to collect your medical records. These records will then be scanned into an electronic format. Our rigorous quality control team will review them to make sure they are clear and legible before sending them on to you as a secure online download. Once you have this electronic copy of your health care record, you will be empowered to take control of your health care and get timely and effective care from the doctor or clinic of your choice.