Research uses of EMR data are critical, official says

For some time now, vendors have attempted to bolster their argument that EMRs offer a return on investment by citing their value as research tools. When data is culled from EMRs to use in public health and pharmaceutical research, such efforts usually are dubbed "secondary uses."  The thing is, calling EMR-based research "secondary" is misleading, as clinical measurement and disease surveillance programs should prove just as valuable as care-giving, researchers say.

For example, Les Lenert, MD, director of the National Center for Public Health Informatics at the CDC, runs a program called BioSense, which has linked clinical systems across the U.S. for three and a half years to conduct disease surveillance. BioSense now covers about 12 percent of all ER visits. Lenert, who spoke at the "Collaborative Communications Summit: Transforming Healthcare through Health Information Technology" last week, argues that the industry has to get away from the secondary use model.

To learn more about this discussion:
- read this Healthcare IT News piece

Related Articles:
CBO says EMRs won't save as much as hoped
Case study: EMR paid for itself in 16 months
When it comes to EMRs, cost is an easy target