There are a lot of words and terms that are flying around the Internet these days regarding the health tech industry and we thought that it would be useful to create a glossary for those for easy reference.
Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
Electronic Medical Records (EMRs): EMRs are digital versions of paper charts in a healthcare provider’s office. They contain the medical and treatment history of patients in one practice. EMRs are used by healthcare providers for diagnosis and treatment within a single organization or healthcare setting. EMRs typically include medical and treatment history, diagnoses, medications, immunization dates, allergies, and laboratory test results.
Practice Fusion, now part of Allscripts, is a cloud-based EMR system designed for small and independent medical practices. Practice Fusion’s EMR platform provides tools for charting, e-prescribing, lab ordering, appointment scheduling, and billing. The system allows healthcare providers to maintain electronic records of patient encounters, document clinical notes, and manage administrative tasks efficiently within their practice. While Practice Fusion primarily serves individual practices, its EMR system helps streamline workflows and enhance patient care delivery in outpatient settings.
Electronic Health Record (EHR)
Electronic Health Records (EHRs): EHRs are more comprehensive than EMRs. They contain the patient’s medical history from multiple healthcare providers and organizations. EHRs are designed to be shared across healthcare settings, including hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and laboratories. EHRs provide a more complete view of a patient’s health history and allow healthcare providers to access information from different sources, facilitating better-coordinated care.
Epic Systems Corporation is a prominent provider of EHR systems used by healthcare organizations worldwide. Epic’s EHR platform offers comprehensive features for managing patient records, including medical history, medications, allergies, lab results, imaging studies, and treatment plans. The system allows healthcare providers to access patient information securely from various healthcare settings, enabling coordinated care and informed decision-making across the continuum of care.
While both EMRs and EHRs are digital versions of patient records, EMRs are specific to a single healthcare provider or organization, while EHRs are designed to be interoperable and shared across multiple healthcare settings to support comprehensive patient care.
HUSPI has experience with integrating both EHRs and EMRs in case you're interested in such tools. Send us a message to set up a call and discuss details.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine is the remote delivery of healthcare services and medical consultations using telecommunications technology, such as video conferencing, to facilitate diagnosis, treatment, and patient education without the need for in-person visits.
One notable example of a telemedicine platform is Teladoc Health. Teladoc Health is a leading provider of virtual healthcare services that connects patients with board-certified physicians and healthcare providers via phone, video, or mobile app for remote consultations and medical advice.
Teladoc Health offers a wide range of telemedicine services, including:
- General Medical Consultations: Patients can use Teladoc’s platform to consult with physicians for non-emergency medical issues such as cold and flu symptoms, allergies, rashes, and minor injuries.
- Specialty Care: Teladoc provides access to specialists in various fields such as dermatology, behavioral health, psychiatry, and women’s health for more specialized consultations and treatment recommendations.
- Mental Health Support: Teladoc offers virtual mental health services, including therapy sessions and psychiatric consultations, to address mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, stress, and substance abuse.
- Chronic Disease Management: Teladoc’s platform supports ongoing management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and COPD through remote monitoring, medication management, and lifestyle counseling.
- 24/7 Access: Teladoc’s services are available 24/7, allowing patients to access care anytime, anywhere, without the need for in-person visits or appointments.
Teladoc Health’s telemedicine platform leverages technology to enhance access to healthcare, improve patient convenience, and reduce barriers to care, particularly for individuals in remote or underserved areas. Teladoc Health helps patients receive timely medical advice and treatment by facilitating virtual consultations and remote monitoring while promoting continuity of care and improving health outcomes.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI is the simulation of human intelligence processes by computer systems, including learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making, and is applied in healthcare for tasks such as diagnosis, predictive modeling, data analysis, and personalized treatment recommendations.
We wrote about AI trends in healthcare in one of our articles.
Machine Learning
Machine Learning is a subset of AI that enables computer systems to learn from data and improve performance without explicit programming, allowing algorithms to identify patterns, make predictions, and adapt to new information over time, applied in healthcare for tasks such as image analysis, risk prediction, and treatment optimization.
Read more about machine learning and pattern recognition technologies, including healthcare.
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)
The continuous monitoring of patient health metrics, such as vital signs, activity levels, and medication adherence, using connected devices and telecommunication technologies to track patient well-being outside of traditional healthcare settings, enabling early detection of health changes and proactive intervention.
One prominent example of a Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) solution is the Philips Telehealth program. Philips Telehealth offers a comprehensive platform for remote monitoring and management of patients with chronic conditions, post-acute care needs, and complex medical conditions. Patients use connected medical devices to measure vital signs at home, with data securely transmitted to a centralized platform. Healthcare providers access a clinical dashboard to monitor patient health, receive alerts for critical changes, and communicate with patients and caregivers. Advanced analytics provide actionable insights for care coordination and population health management. As a result, this remote patient monitoring technology improves patient outcomes and enhances healthcare delivery efficiency.
Health Information Exchange (HIE)
The electronic sharing of healthcare information among healthcare providers, hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, laboratories, and other authorized entities, facilitates the secure and interoperable exchange of patient data to support coordinated care, care transitions, and population health management.
One example of Health Information Exchange (HIE) is the Carequality Interoperability Framework. It’s a national-level initiative that enables seamless exchange of health information among healthcare providers and organizations, regardless of their underlying technology platforms. Carequality allows healthcare entities to securely share patient data, including medical records, lab results, and treatment histories, to support coordinated care and improve patient outcomes.
Precision Medicine
Each person is different. We have talked about the importance of personalized healthcare already and precision medicine is a critical approach to taking care of various health issues.
Precision medicine is an approach to healthcare that considers individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle to tailor medical treatments and interventions to the specific characteristics of each patient, enabling more effective and personalized care delivery.
Blockchain Technology
A decentralized and secure digital ledger system that records transactions across multiple computers in a way that is tamper-resistant and transparent, is applied in healthcare for tasks such as maintaining secure patient records, tracking pharmaceutical supply chains, and ensuring data integrity and privacy.
Medicalchain is a startup that utilizes blockchain to create a secure platform for storing and sharing electronic health records (EHRs). Through blockchain technology, Medicalchain allows patients to have full control over their medical data while granting permission to healthcare providers and researchers to access relevant portions securely. The decentralized nature of blockchain ensures data integrity, security, and privacy, while also enabling interoperability among different healthcare systems and providers.
Patients can grant access to their medical records to healthcare providers, specialists, and researchers as needed, facilitating seamless care coordination and collaboration while maintaining data confidentiality. Medicalchain’s platform also enables patients to track who has accessed their data and provides transparency and accountability in healthcare data management.
By leveraging blockchain technology, Medicalchain aims to empower patients, improve healthcare outcomes, and enhance data security and privacy in the healthcare industry.
Healthcare Analytics
The systematic analysis of healthcare data using statistical, mathematical, and computational techniques to derive insights, identify trends, detect patterns, and inform decision-making, is applied in healthcare for tasks such as population health management, predictive modeling, and performance optimization.
One example of a healthcare analytics company is Health Catalyst. It offers a comprehensive suite of analytics solutions designed to help healthcare organizations improve clinical, financial, and operational outcomes. Their platform enables organizations to aggregate, analyze, and visualize data from disparate sources, including electronic health records (EHRs), claims data, financial systems, and other sources, to derive actionable insights and drive informed decision-making.
Through advanced analytics capabilities such as predictive modeling, risk stratification, population health management, and performance benchmarking, Health Catalyst helps healthcare providers identify trends, patterns, and opportunities for improvement across various aspects of care delivery. Their solutions support initiatives such as reducing costs, improving patient outcomes, enhancing care coordination, and optimizing resource utilization.
Health Catalyst’s analytics platform empowers healthcare organizations to leverage data-driven insights to drive continuous improvement, deliver higher-quality care, and achieve better outcomes for patients and populations.
Clinical Decision Support (CDS)
CDS systems are computer-based tools and systems that assist healthcare providers in making clinical decisions by providing evidence-based information, guidelines, alerts, and recommendations at the point of care, enhancing patient safety, quality of care, and clinical outcomes.
For example, IBM Watson Health’s CDS Advisor is designed to assist healthcare providers in making evidence-based decisions at the point of care. It integrates with electronic health record (EHR) systems to analyze patient data, clinical guidelines, medical literature, and best practices in real time, providing clinicians with actionable insights and recommendations to support diagnosis, treatment, and care management decisions.