Electronic Health Record ImplementationTabytha BalashOhio UniversityElectronic Health Record ImplementationTechnological advances have affected our society at home, at work, and in our healthcare. It all started with online banking, ATM cards, making grades available for kids online, and purchasing tickets for social outings. There was nothing electronic about going to the doctor's office. Health care costs are rising and medical errors resulting in loss of life require change. As technologies advanced, the process of reducing medical errors and protecting important health information was evolving. In January 2004, President Bush announced in his State of the Union address plans to launch an electronic health record (EHR) within the next ten years (American Healthtech, 2012). The electronic medical record is a computerized medical record that will replace a nautical chart. Health information will be available to all healthcare professionals anytime, anywhere. The documentation will contain medical history, diagnosis, medications, vaccinations, allergies, diagnostics and laboratory results; from past physicians, visits to emergency rooms, schools, pharmacies, laboratories, and outpatient facilities (Department of Health and Human Services, 2014). Healthcare professionals will be able to access evidence-based tools to aid in decision making. The EHR will also streamline workflow and support changes in payer requirements and consumer expectations. In 2004, "HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson appointed David Brailer as the National Health Information Coordinator to provide: leadership for the development and nationwide implementation of an interoperable HIT infrastructure, with the goal of creating electronic clinics... paper middle ......painful HIPPA policies In 2003, a man named Huping Zhou was fined $2,000 and sentenced to four months in prison for violating HIPPA. in sending messages; violations will not be tolerated (Dimick, 2010). In conclusion, technology has changed the world, as we knew it. The good and the bad come with change is to achieve positive outcomes for patients while protecting integrity, trust and confidentiality and decreasing health care costs. Privacy is a fundamental patient right and nurses are expected to maintain confidentiality (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014). A breach of confidentiality will result in a lack of trust between nurses and patients. As a nurse, it is my responsibility to ensure the privacy of my patients and provide patient-focused, not technology-focused nursing care.