Legality Issues of Data-based EMR Systems
Questions have been raised concerning the long term legality of database electronic medical record systems. Migration from one vendor to another and the fact that version upgrades may not include the same information or look like the original template may compromise the legal reliability of the EMR.

Legal permissibility with electronic documentation depends on the stability of the file's format. A "data-based" EMR software solution raises legal concerns when changing from one EMR vendor to another. Because the migration process of digital documents (transferring digital information between two different software/hardware platforms) creates new electronic documents that are not exactly the same as the original file, the legal reliability and authenticity of the document can be compromised. One is therefore dissuaded from changing vendors because the legality of the documents may be at risk.

In addition to vendor migration, there is a concern that database EMR vendors cannot achieve absolute legality in their documentation because databases can be updated and altered without leaving a traceable account of the changes. As a result, physicians are being advised to print paper hardcopies of any electronic documentation. This creates a need to maintain duplicate systems, both paper and electronic, eliminating the original advantage of an EMR solution.

Our electronic medical record system uses the PDF format which is an electronic replica of its paper counterpart and has a long history of legality in the U.S. Federal Courts. Each document is kept as an exact replica of the original document.