'Most Wired' hospitals see patient portals as part of wider EMR strategy

A key element of meaningful use of EMRs--and of health reform in general--is providing patients access to their own records. Conversely, patient access to records shouldn't be viewed in isolation, but as part of the wider EMR strategy. That's the lesson we learn from Atlantic Health in Morristown, N.J., and other "Most Wired" health systems, as named by Hospitals & Health Networks. (We'll have more about the annual "Most Wired" list Monday in FierceHealthIT.) Atlantic Health's patient portal actually is an outgrowth of a plan to provide remote EMR service to independent physicians who still kept paper records. Now, some 26,000 patients have registered for the portal, which allows them to view lab results, communicate securely with their doctors and update medication lists. Article