A primary care clinic in a small urban center sees a high volume of ca

QUESTION

A primary care clinic in a small urban center sees a high volume of cardiology patients. Patients who attend the clinic have smart cards that they use at hospitals, clinics, and emergency departments within that region of the state.

A primary benefit of the smart card for these patients would be:

a. Rapid and accurate treatment in emergency situations.
b. Reduced wait times to see specialists.
c. E-mail notification of test results.
d. Readily available information regarding medications.

ANSWER:

ANS: B
Credit card–like devices called smart cards store a limited number of pages of data on a computer chip and serve as a bridge between the clinician terminal and the central repository of the electronic health record (EHR), making patient information available to the caregiver quickly and cheaply at the point-of-service. Smart cards provide information to healthcare providers regarding the patient’s demographic and contact information, allergies, immunizations, lab results, and past patient care encounters and are presented at the point-of-service.