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Abstract: 

President George Bush has made it clear that electronic medical records (EMRs) will play a major role in the modernization of the U.S. health care system and has committed industry to moving most health records to digital format within 10 years (Bush, 2004b; Bush, 2005). Probably less noticed by health care administrators is that the national thrust toward a digital record alters traditional arguments for and against the purchase of EMRs. For hospitals, HMOs, and private practices, theoretical cost savings and improved safety attributed to EMRs are not deciding factors in the decision to purchase a system.Increased regulatory requirements for billing, medical data reporting, liability containment, and the need to move data to other medical systems will make the EMR an entry level tool for remaining in business. Where does that leave the world of correctional medicine?

Keywords: MTB testing, sick-call scheduling, risk calculation, suicide prediction, infectious disease outbreak contagion algorithms, DBMS

Affiliations:  1: New Jersey State Department of Corrections.