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Electronic Health Record Data

"EHRs are, at their simplest, digital (computerized versions) of a patients' paper charts. But EHRs, when fully up and running, are so much more than that." [Only found iterations of this quote so unsure how to cite from our own powerpoint]

Electronic Health Record (EHR) System [1]

EHRs make information available instantly, “whenever and wherever it is needed.” And, they bring together in one place everything about a patient’s health.

EHRs can:

  • Contain information about a patient’s medical history, diagnoses, medications, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, and lab and test results

  • Offer access to evidence-based tools that providers can use in making decisions about a patient’s care

  • Automate and streamline providers’ workflow

  • Increase the organization and accuracy of patient information

  • Support key market changes in payer requirements and consumer expectations

One of the key features of an EHR is that it can be created, managed, and consulted by authorized providers and staff across more than one healthcare organization.

A single EHR can bring together information from current and past doctors, emergency facilities, school and workplace clinics, pharmacies, laboratories, and medical imaging facilities.

EHR Data Uses

Primary Uses

"Data collected about and used for the direct care of a patient"

  • Patient care

    • Delivery

    • Management

    • Support

  • Billing and reimbursement

Secondary Uses

"Data are used for purposes other than those for which they were originally collected"

  • Decision support (development)

  • Quality assurance

  • Research

  • Education

  • Public Health

  • Regulation

Common and Emerging Data Types [2]

Patient identifiers

  • Include patient’s full name, date of birth, and contact information

Demographics

  • Age, gender, and ethnicity/race

Diagnoses

Medications

  • Information on prescriptions that are written

  • Pharmacy claims data contain information on prescriptions that were filled

Procedures

  • Clinical procedures such as surgery, radiology, pathology, and laboratory

Laboratory Data

Vital Signs

  • Physiological variables such as height, weight, body mass index, pulse rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and temperature

Utilization/Cost

  • Includes cost, hospitalization, readmission, emergency room admission or other significant healthcare events

Surveys

  • Involves self reported questionnaires,

  • Standardized EHR-integrated surveys: Patient Reported Outcomes Measures (PROMs), Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ), Health Risk Assessments (HRA), Life Event Checklist (LEC), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) screening tools.

Social Data

  • Individual level factors (smoking status)

  • Community level elements (socioeconomic status)

Patient-generated Data

  • Includes physical activity, sleep patterns, self-reported sign and symptoms, uploaded blood sugar levels

  • Collected by integrated personal health records, mobile-health exchange platforms, wearable device interfaces

References

  1. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Benefits of EHRs. HealthIT.gov. Updated December 10, 2025. Accessed August 5, 2026.

  2. Ehrenstein V, Kharrazi H, Lehmann H, et al. Obtaining Data From Electronic Health Records. In: Gliklich RE, Leavy MB, Dreyer NA, editors. Tools and Technologies for Registry Interoperability, Registries for Evaluating Patient Outcomes: A User’s Guide, 3rd Edition, Addendum 2 [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2019 Oct. Chapter 4 Obtaining Data from Electronic Health Records.

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