Communicating Electronic Medical Records (EMRs)

So you're going to need to sign this release and we'll send your records over to the specialist!Sure. Cause that works ever.There are any number of reasons why the health care industry has been painfully slow to adopt electronic record keeping (1-25 are money). Since 2009 and the passing of the HITECH act, which gave back $26 billion in incentives for implementation of EHRs with "meaningful use" the majority of hospitals and health systems have gotten on board with the tech. This is a good thing.But back to you trying to get your god forsaken medical records from your primary physician across the street to the orthopedist. Here is the current option:Nice.  Meaningful use mandates the EHRs COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER as of 2014. Which would have been great. The mandate has been pushed back year by year,  but in the fullness of time we will get there. The barriers are many (1-25 also money) and the rest have to do with creating the tech that will bridge these records using a multitude of platforms. I will get back to you on this after I get my IT degree. As a nurse I would appreciate having the prenatal records of a laboring woman at my disposal. In the ICU it'd be nice to know if my patient is allergic to penicillin, had a stroke last week, or is a type 1 diabetic.The stakes may be lower in the clinic but for heaven's sake let me take a bat to the fax machine.