Beyond the EHR: Building the Future of Healthcare

The U.S. government’s $36B investment into electronic health records (EHR) has been a game-changer for the industry in many ways and represents significant progress over a decades long paper system. But EHR’s built in the 1990’s have yet to fully realize the vision of the country’s investment to improve quality and care and drive innovation.?

Unfortunately, EHR’s weren’t built with clinician workflow in mind. They were built to maximize revenue cycle management. EHR companies could have chosen to build a connected system, just as telephone and banking companies did, but instead they opted for a closed system that for decades has held data hostage. They ignored the fact that patients receive care from multiple providers in different settings and not always within the same health system. As a result, EHR’s became no more than a system of record or digitization of what was jotted on paper. They moved health records out of the filing cabinet and into the clinician’s computer - but the information remained locked and underused. Instead of being a valuable tool for providers to support their efforts to drive quality, efficiency, and better outcomes, EHR’s became a thorn in the side of clinicians and continue to contribute to burnout and frustration.?

Top that with the challenges our health systems face – challenges that are enormous and, in many ways, have become more complex - from an aging population with more healthcare needs to higher rates of cancer to obesity in younger populations. Add in the fact that we expect our providers to consider social determinants and genetic data and to stay abreast of the latest treatments, therapies, and clinical trials as they treat their patients. And pile on the administrative requirements from insurance companies in order to ensure appropriate payment. It’s no wonder we are spending anywhere from 25% to 30% in healthcare on administrative tasks.?

If we are going to truly change the way healthcare is delivered and fundamentally change the experience for providers and patients, we must change the EHR, beyond bolting on temporary solutions.

This is Oracle’s mission. The work we are doing right now is setting the stage for a new generation of healthcare. One that not only provides an effective tool for clinicians and makes their jobs easier to provide high quality, effective care but that also brings joy back to their work. With Oracle’s historical footprint across databases, cloud technology, cybersecurity, AI, and enterprise solutions, we will bring more than an EHR point solution. 甲骨文 is not only working to connect the entire ecosystem but also to facilitate transactions to reduce manual labor and administrative costs. Oracle is building healthcare technology for tomorrow, not just bolting feature after feature onto an outdated platform.

In October, at the Oracle Health Summit, Oracle will showcase how a reimagined EHR and an interconnected industry can transform healthcare and life sciences for the betterment of all. Please join us October 28-30 in Nashville to see how Oracle is building the future of healthcare.