18 Nov Health Record vs. Medical Record: Key Differences Explained

Health Record vs. Medical Record: Key Differences Explained

When requesting patient files, you may have a choice between their health record vs. medical record. Both health records and medical records offer key patient information and data, but they differ in scope.

Health records are more robust in detailing patient histories, while medical records are generally specific to a single medical practice. Knowing the difference between a medical record vs. a health record—and when to request each—expedites clinical services and shortens processing times for healthcare providers, insurers, and law firms.

What Are Health Records and Medical Records?

There are three commonly kept and shared types of healthcare records:

• Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) – EMRs are digital versions of the paper charts doctors use to keep patient records. They’re usually specific to single practices.

• Electronic Health Records (EHRs) – EHRs are often confused with EMRs as they track similar information, but they’re built to be digitally shared with other providers rather than stored internally. 

• Personal Health Records (PHRs) – PHRs are any record a patient keeps about their health. Generally, PHRs refer to online platforms where patients submit personal health information for their doctor’s review.

EMRs, EHRs, and PHRs all offer a continuous chain of reference for healthcare providers. They also enhance documentation accuracy and can expedite information sharing between providers.

Key Differences Between Health Records and Medical Records

To dissect it even further, the key differences between EMRs and EHRs ultimately come down to:

• Ownership – Patients own their own EHRs—these records are theirs to manage, review, and share. EMRs are provider-controlled. They’re stored in an internal recordkeeping system so physicians can reference patient information as needed.

• Data breadth – EHRs include information from various providers. EMRs focus on a single facility, documenting data over a patient’s history with the provider.

• Treatment planning – EHRs are often used for decision-making—they help determine specialists or providers to facilitate patient care. EMRs are generally used to diagnose conditions and establish treatment plans. 

• Legality of data sharing – EHRs can be legally shared between providers for treatment, billing, and operational purposes. EMRs are legally protected and often carry restrictions on transfers between providers. 

• Insurance purposes – Insurance providers may ask for both EMRs and EHRs, but may have more instant access to EHRs.

Understanding these key differences means knowing what information providers have access to and what they’re permitted to share.

Why Understanding the Difference Matters

Knowing the difference between EHRs and EMRs helps healthcare providers determine how to access key documentation and decide on the right kinds of record-sharing systems.

This understanding is likewise essential for:

• Legal teams – EMRs contain private information that may cause legal repercussions if shared. Knowing the difference between EMRs and EHRs helps legal teams protect providers and guide them on what data they can share.

• Insurers – Discerning between EMRs and EHRs tells insurers where to look for different patient data and lets them know if they have quick access—or if they need to submit a request.

Since EHRs and EMRs both contain Protected Health Information (PHI), they’re both subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA limits the sharing of personal medical information to protect patient privacy. EHR-stored health data, however, is often approved for sharing through established digital systems to expedite patient care—whereas EMRs must be requested and cleared. 

Common Misconceptions About Health vs. Medical Records

There are a few common misconceptions about EMRs and EHRs, including:

• Myths about patient access – HIPAA makes it clear: Patients are entitled to all of their medical records, regardless of how they’re collected, stored, or accessed.

• Confusion over data ownership – While the healthcare provider or medical records vendor technically owns the physical (or digital) copy of a patient’s EMRs and EHRs, the patient retains ownership over the actual data.

• Concerns about accuracy – Certain patients worry that EMRs are incomplete snapshots of their health, as they only contain information from a single provider. While it’s true that EMRs are provider-specific, clinics often have access to EHR information to improve their decision-making and clinical care.

Confusing or conflating EHRs, EMRs, and other medical records complicates provider, insurer, and patient access rights. Ultimately, this can delay record retrieval, complicate case preparation, and affect patient care quality—making a record retrieval partner essential for smooth clinical operations. 

How Retrieval Partners Bridge the Gap

Medical record retrieval solutions simplify EHR and EMR access for healthcare providers, insurers, and lawyers. That’s because a retrieval partner can provide:

• Faster turnarounds – By working closely with various healthcare providers and cultivating relationships of trust, retrieval partners often receive expedited request turnarounds. 

• Record completeness – Complete, searchable digital records simplify lawyers’ and insurance agents’ casework. 

• HIPAA compliance – Retrieval services build their reputations on trust and reliability. Compliance with HIPAA and other governing regulations is essential for their credibility and continued operation. 

As an example, outsourcing medical record retrieval for insurers expedites record delivery, allowing claims to move quickly toward underwriting, evaluation, and an approval decision. Meanwhile, medical record retrieval for lawyers keeps requests legally compliant and delivers records in a secure format that meets evidentiary standards. 

Whether you’re an insurer, law firm, or medical provider, partnering with a record retrieval service such as American Retrieval helps expedite processing periods and maintain compliance so that you’re free to focus on what really matters—your patients and clients.

Making the Most of Health and Medical Records

The difference between a health record vs. medical record boils down to usage, storage, and access. EMRs are generally kept by a single provider, taking the place of the traditional paper charts of the past. EHRs are shared between providers on a common digital system and contain a more robust view of a patient’s health.

Regardless of which type of record you need to access, partner with American Retrieval to expedite and simplify the process. 

Our medical record retrieval services offer speed and peace of mind. Work with American Retrieval to streamline your medical record retrieval process today.

Sources: 

University of South Florida. EHR vs EMR: What’s the Difference?. https://www.ama-assn.org/topics/electronic-health-records-ehr. 

Kaiser Permanente. Electronic Medical and Health Records. https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health-wellness/health-encyclopedia/he.electronic-medical-and-health-records.abo4950. 

National Library of Medicine. Health Records Database and Inherent Security Concerns: A Review of the Literature. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9647912/. 

United States Department of Health and Human Services. Individuals’ Right under HIPAA to Access their Health Information 45 CFR § 164.524. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/access/index.html. 

American Medical Association Journal of Ethics. Electronic Health Records: Privacy, Confidentiality, and Security. https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/electronic-health-records-privacy-confidentiality-and-security/2012-09.