EMR or EHR

The terms "electronic medical record (EMR)" or "electronic health record (EHR)" seem to be used interchangeably by medical software vendors to refer to the computerized records of a patient's medical history. Although some serious efforts are underway to create standards for EMRs in the US - for instance, in the terminology for medical conditions or the underlying programming - we're not there yet.

I recommend:  PCWorld wrote a thorough report on the state-of-play for EMRs.

Integrated practice management

You'll see this term or "EMR plus practice management" for medical software that combines the functions you need to run your office (scheduling, billing) with management of the electronic health records of your patients. There are also standalone software products that cover each separately.

I recommend:  EHRConsultant.com shows breakout lists of EMR-only and EMR-plus practice management software packages.

HIPAA compliant

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) guarantees patients that their records will be kept private and secure. Software that claims HIPAA-compliance may have some protection against unauthorized access to data, including meeting federal standards on secure data transmission. Also, HIPAA-compliant software assigns standard HIPAA code numbers to medical procedures.

I recommend:  AdvancedMD gives the run-down on exactly how it’s medical software complies with HIPAA.

HL 7 compliant

Health Level Seven or HL 7 is a set of standards for transmitting patient's clinical and adminstrative information from, for instance, a doctor to a hospital to an insurance company, each operating on different software systems.

I recommend:  Get the details on HL 7 from the Health Level 7 standards group.

CCHIT certification

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) is a group that evaluates electronic medical record software and EMR software companies and gives a certification seal to those that meet its standards. The group is recognized by the American Medical Association and other physicians groups.

I recommend:  Check the site for the CCHIT for a complete explanation of what they look for in EMR programs, and lists of certified EMR software.

Patient Portal

Medical software that offers a patient portal typically can assign passwords to patients and let them view medical and billing records, request an appointment, and send and receive messages with a doctor.

I recommend:  See the patient portal features of eClinicalWorks.