EMR versus EHR

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If you're like me, you're been confused before about when to use the term "EMR" versus the use of "EHR".  Of course, EMR is an acronym for "Electronic Medical Record" and "EHR" stands for "Electronic Health Record".  The National Alliance for Health Information Technology (NAHIT) has generating a definition of each.  EMR has a more specific focus.  It’s a more in-depth record of a single diagnosis or treatment, and it tends to be more practical for specialists.  The, now, official definition is “the electronic record of health-related information on an individual that is created, gathered, managed, and consulted by licensed clinicians and staff from a single organization involved in the individual’s health and care.” 

An EHR, on the other hand, is more comprehensive in scope and application. NAHIT defines EHR as “the aggregate electronic record of health-related information on an individual that is created and gathered cumulatively across more than one health care organization and is managed and consulted by licensed clinicians and staff involved in the individual’s health and care.”