EMRs in the fourth stage: the future of electronic medical records based on the experience at Intermountain Health Care.

In the third stage of electronic medical record development, key features of EMR systems have converged, making them more difficult to differentiate from a cost/benefit standpoint. Fourth stage EMR systems are likely to introduce new, more effective decision support capabilities, offering a competitive advantage to hospitals that use them. Intermountain Health Care's HELP systems, which developed along different paths than other early EMR systems, offer unique decision-support capabilities that provide significant additional benefits. This paper quantifies and compare the benefits of Third Stage EMR systems, and the possible Fourth Stage capabilities of the HELP.