Guest Column: Unraveling The Healthcare Enterprise Content Management Acronym Mysteries

By Andy Eberhard, CEO of UFC, Inc.

Wikipedia states that an electronic medical record (EMR) is a medical record in digital format. It further states that EMR is considered to be one of several types of EHRs (Electronic Health Records) and categorizes Practice Management Software (PMS) as a category of software that deals with the day to day operations of a medical practice while defining a Document Management System (DMS) as a computer system used to track and store electronic documents and/or images of paper documents. Is it little wonder why those in the healthcare industry (as well as the rest of us) may be confused with Enterprise Content Management terminology for the healthcare industry?

But maybe it is not as difficult to explain, as it first appears if we break it down into its logical parts. Let's start with ECM. ECM is the overarching term that Wikipedia describes as "the set of technologies used to capture, store, and deliver content and documents and content related to organizational processes." Between EMR, EHR, PM Software, and DM Software applications one discovers an array of ways to capture, store and deliver content and documents, all aimed at providing more efficiency within and between healthcare processes. In that context then, EMR, EHR, PMS, and DMS all reside under the overarching umbrella of the term ECM. And each can be broken down into their respective functional areas and practical significance to the healthcare industry.