A blog in The Wall Street Journal explores the challenges electronic medical records (EMRs) pose to chief information officers (CIOs) of healthcare facilities through the experiences of Hunterdon Healthcare System CIO Glenn Mamary. Offering password-protected doctor access to patient records and the ability to “break the glass” in case of emergency, Mamary attempts to strike a balance between patient privacy and necessary access, saying, “If we lock it down too much, we will be prohibiting (practitioners) from treating patients.” While practitioners have voiced complaints about the transition to EMRs, spikes in complaints are common in any transition, and a 24-hour IT staff is available to resolve problems, the report states.
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