EMR Software's Impact on The Environment - By: Jamie Hanson

The world has realized what "green" means and more companies are committed to being "green". The rising costs are significant in the field of healthcare, hospitals and medical practice. Not only can EMR Software, i.e. Electronic Medical Records, economize healthcare establishments money, but they can also reduce the use of physical goods like paper and also energy. Given below are few ways by which a healthcare organization can go 'green' by using EMR software.

Reduced Use of Paper
Manual medical records are on sheets of paper slipped into paper folders. With each sheet the folder grows and more paper is added with each appointment or medical emergency. This depletes natural resources and has other environmental impacts. However, when EMR software is used there is no need for paper medical records to be used. This actually saves trees from being cut down and used to make more paper. All medical records are stored electronically with EMR software and can be transmitted electronically, too, reducing the need for copying, faxing, printing, and the like. Prescriptions can even be provided electronically to pharmacies so there is no need for a hard copy of the prescription and the risk of a medical error because of the prescription being illegible goes down considerably.

Space Needs Decrease
When paper medical records are replaced with electronic medical records the need for storage space decreases significantly. A number of healthcare organizations have entire rooms specifically for storage of medical records. Hard copy is not necessary when you use EMR software. As a result, the space needed reduces and this is considered "green" because the natural resources required to support that space also decline.

Energy Requirements Decrease
Additionally, energy requirements go down when electronically medical records are used. There' no requirement for copying and faxing of medical records not to mention the extra storage space is not needed and this cuts back considerably on power bills.

These are few factors which can help in healthcare establishments grow "green".

About the Author

Electronic Health Records system funding is now available for most doctors and hospitals. EHR Software systems are now being required for Medicare and Medicaid providers

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Jamie-Hanson/34129

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