EMR vs. Paper Records

Increased discussion on electronic medical records (EMR) is taking the healthcare community by storm, with Colorado at the epicenter of its technological development.

EMRs are digital versions of paper charts that are maintained at medical practices, clinics, and hospitals; increasing the efficiency of tracking data over time, identifying patients for preventative visits and screenings, and monitoring patients.

Denver is at the forefront of innovation in transforming healthcare delivery, welcoming an 180,000 square-foot innovation center. Located in RiNo, Catalyst HTI is designed to house more than 70 organizations to collaborate on the digital health sector – including some of the nation’s largest healthcare providers like Kaiser Permanente and UCHealth. Also among Catalyst HTI’s community is Denver-based Sopris Health, innovating EMR technology by utilizing A.I. The technology is intended to cut the amount of time physicians spend transcribing patient data as the A.I. medical scribe listens and captures key data to then generate into industry-standard medical notes. Time spent taking notes is allocated into giving the patient a more personal experience, allowing physicians to listen intently instead of focusing on the workflow of a patient visit.

Although more and more physicians continue switching to EMR, there is still a large group that remains skeptical and prefers maintaining paper records. Reasons are due to cost and lack of trust for the technology. As EMR continues to evolve, we’re confident the number of physicians making the switch will increase.