EHR vs EMR vs PHR?

During my time at the Brody School of Medicine, we transitioned from the Stone Age of paper charting to the 21st century of using an electronic medical record (EMR).  Nowadays, we're supposed to call it an electronic health record (EHR) which is supposed to encompass so much more (?).  When I made the decision to leave my employed position and start my solo practice, I also decided that I would start using an EHR right away.  (DISCLAIMER:  I am serving as a guest speaker today to answer questions regarding Practice Fusion's EHR).

Why?  Especially since I have no (federal financial) incentive.  Simply because it makes sense for me to have access wherever I might be for my patients' benefit.  Therefore, I am no longer limited to & tied down by a traditional brick & mortar office in providing optimal care to my patients.  Instead, I can now access their records from any place on this globe w/reasonable Internet access (as I learned earlier this month, this excludes the Disney Wonder plying Alaska's Inner Passage).

But what's a PHR?  Personal health record.  It's the patient's record from his/her perspective.  The problem is that it's typically patient initiated.  This is where health care literacy comes in.  And motivation.  Which is why Google Health is about to shut down as announced in the Wall Street Journal last week.  Not enough of us are motivated to think ahead to put our health information online for that just-in-case moment, much less keep it up-to-date w/each doctor's visit.  We're still stuck in the Stone Age carrying around little scraps of paper with out-of-date drug names scribbled in fading ink.  Good luck to your emergency physician who tries to figure which blue pill you're taking (and no, it's not that one!).  

The solution?  If you're lucky enough to have a physician who uses an EHR, ask if you can have access to its PHR portal.  And if you're a physician who's keeping up with the times (whether due to the carrot or the stick), consider offering your patients access to their records, perhaps even a (paper or electronic) copy of your/their chart note.  After all, what do we have to hide?