What is the difference between EMR and EHR?
An EMR is a digital patient record used within a single practice. An EHR, an electronic health record, is built to be shared across many providers and care settings. The simplest way to remember it: the EMR stays put, the EHR travels.
A digital patient record used within a single practice.
Built to be shared across many providers and care settings.
The simplest way to remember it: the EMR stays put, the EHR travels.
An EMR fits a single practice. An EHR fits care that spans multiple providers.
An EMR is great inside one clinic. It digitizes the chart, supports diagnosis, and ties into scheduling and billing. But it was not designed to follow the patient elsewhere.
An EHR is. It is meant to move with the patient, so a specialist, a hospital, and a primary doctor can all see the same up to date picture.
EMR: electronic medical record
Stays put- A digital patient record used within a single practice
- Digitizes the chart
- Supports diagnosis
- Ties into scheduling and billing
- Not designed to follow the patient elsewhere
EHR: electronic health record
Travels- Built to be shared across many providers and care settings
- Meant to move with the patient
- A specialist, a hospital, and a primary doctor see the same up to date picture
Figure 1. The EMR stays put, the EHR travels
Built from this page’s own definitions, which match HealthIT.gov’s: an EMR “contains the medical and treatment history of the patients in one practice”, while EHRs are “built to share information with other health care providers”. Source: HealthIT.gov explainer on EMRs and EHRs.
Sthenos builds clinical systems with privacy and compliance at the core, like the EMR solution built for a Florida therapy provider.
Related services: healthcare software development; healthcare IT services.
EMR and EHR questions
Which is better, EMR or EHR?
Neither is simply better. An EMR fits a single practice. An EHR fits care that spans multiple providers.
What does EMR stand for?
EMR stands for electronic medical record: a digital patient record used within a single practice.
What does EHR stand for?
EHR stands for electronic health record: a record built to be shared across many providers and care settings.
Related in this topic: AI in healthcare software.
Related guides
Related terms
- electronic medical record (EMR)
- FHIR
- What Is Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)?
- What Is the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)?
