New Toolkit Helps Doctors, Patients Understand EHRs

CHARLESTON, W. Va.—A wide range of new resources is available to help physicians, healthcare providers and consumers understand electronic health records, which are gradually replacing traditional paper records.

“This toolkit of resources includes pamphlets, brochures and posters that physicians can use to help their patients understand the many benefits of having electronic health records, as well as privacy and security precautions,” said Patty Ruddick, project director of the West Virginia Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration (WV-HISPC).

These resources are available in both printed form and electronically in downloadable form at www.eHealthWV.org.

The eHealthWV effort was funded as part of a federal grant to, among other activities, educate consumers about electronic health records and the privacy and security issues related to them.

The West Virginia program is part of a national push to educate consumers and providers about the importance of privacy and security in using electronic health records. The federal government has set a goal for most Americans to have electronic health records by 2014.

“Storing health records on paper was fine for the 19th and 20th centuries, but electronic health records offer us a 21st century solution that can help improve the quality of healthcare and the safety of patients,” said Mark Stephens, MD, a physician with the West Virginia Medical Institute, and a practicing physician in Charleston. “It’s time for consumers and providers to understand their benefits.”

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