My initial thoughts about electronic health records in nursing is that it is very useful to have. Having the patient’s records online allows to the nurse or the provider to see all the care and treatment that the patient has received. It can also show the nurse what care/ treatment has worked for patient and what hasn’t worked for the patient. I think that it is a useful tool because it can allow the nurse or provider to be informed about a patient before the patient even enters the office. This can allow the nurse to jump right to the problem of patient and start developing a care plan. The HIE is a nonprofit organization that manages Maine’s statewide health information Exchange. The HIE links individual critical health information from unaffiliated healthcare locations to create a single electronic health record. This allows healthcare providers across the state support the healthcare needs of the patients. The HIE provides services such as, comprehensive electronic medical record systems, real-time event notifications, and public health reporting.

The influence of the HIE impacts patients and providers in a positive way. A patient is able to opt of this and opt in at any point. There are some challenges when it comes to clinical experiences, such as multiple providers that are treating the patient. There could be a challenge with communication because it is lacking, and results may not be received. Another challenge is piecing together multiple health history records. The HIE improves communication and care planning activities among providers, and it provides a comprehensive information on the patient at any point of care. The HIE also improves quality and costs of healthcare, and it focuses on targeting care for patients. The HIE is useful to improve the overall care of a patient. It can help a nurse or provider promote prevention and provide better education to the patient. It can also be applied to make sure that a patient is receiving repeated testing because that is only hurting the patient because of the cost that they will have to pay. The HIE can also help to coordinate care between the patient’s PCP and other healthcare professionals that the patient is seeking care from. The HIE not only helps the patient but the healthcare professionals providing care because it allows everyone to be on the same page about the patient.