abstracting: summarizing the important points of a text for import into the EMR
application service provider (ASP): a third party entity managing and distributing software-based services to customers from a central data center
automation: the system of operating a process by highly automatic means, as by electronic devices, reducing human intervention to a minimum
best of breed: several products, each excelling at specific functions, joined to work as one
change management: the formal process of introducing, adapting and diffusing change through the practice
chart conversion: process of deciding and implementing the means to get data from the paper charts into the new EMR
chronic disease management registry: a clinical information system which generally supplements the individual patient medical record and supports the physician in the treatment setting; used to capture, manage, and provide information on specific conditions to support organized care management
client-server model: a dedicated server located at a customer's site that handles most of the software processing tasks, while less-powerful client computers access and share files, programs and computing prowess
document imaging: creating an electronic image in a computer file from a paper document, typically through scanning
electronic health record (EHR): a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care-delivery setting
electronic medical record (EMR): the electronic record of patient health information generated by encounters at one particular delivery setting
hardware: devices to capture, process, and transmit data in an electronic form such as computers and network equipment
health information technology (HIT): the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of electronic information in a health care setting
integration: process of ensuring all elements in an information system can communicate and can act as a uniform entity
interface: a program designed to enable the exchange of data between two sources; enable software to connect one information system to another, to share certain data or outputs, to join systems to perform tasks seamlessly and without double entry of data
internet: a worldwide system of computer networks that allows users to send and receive information among computers
interoperability: the capability of systems to pass meaningful information between them
legacy system: an older software system that is typically expensive to maintain and upgrade, has extreme limitations of functions, and does not interface well with new technologies. However, legacy systems have been proven to work, making it difficult for some consumers to make decisions about old vs. new technologies
network: a set of connected computers that is able to communicate and share data or programs
operating system: the software program that provides the commands and logic that operates the computer
patient registry: provides multiple views of information about a patient or lists of patients for use (1) at the point of care, (2) between visits to identify gaps in care, and (3) to provide status reports about specific patient populations
personal computer (PC): a computer designed for the individual user
personal digital assistant (PDA): a handheld computer loaded with personal productivity tools such as a calendar, address book, word processing, and spreadsheet functions
personal health record (PHR): a health record maintained by the patient that incorporates information from various providers
return on investment (ROI): a measurement of success of a project; the percent of profit earned on an investment
scalability: the ability of a system to expand, such as when a practice needs to add additional users
server: a computer on a network that stores commonly used data or programs and makes those available on demand to clients on the network
software: a computer program
templates: a form or pattern to capture data in a structured manner
workflow: the progress of how processes and functions are performed