So, lately I have revisited the EMR term and noticed that in articles and software product descriptions both EMR and EHR are present.

So naturally, my lack of knowledge moves me to inquire if EMR and EHR are the same and generall used interchangeably?

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DEFINITIONS
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EMR - An electronic medical record is usually a computerized legal medical record created in an organization that delivers care, such as a hospital and doctor's surgery.[1] Electronic medical records tend to be a part of a local stand-alone health information system that allows storage, retrieval and manipulation of records.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_medical_record

EHR - An electronic health record (EHR) (also electronic patient record or computerised patient record) is an evolving concept defined as a systematic collection of electronic health information about individual patients or populations[1]. It is a record in digital format that is capable of being shared across different health care settings, by being embedded in network-connected enterprise-wide information systems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_health_record

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ANSWER
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Here's what I discovered...

No, they are not the same! Great to know...especially if I want to someday get back into the Healthcare IT industry.

"The market has confused the electronic medical record (EMR) and the electronic health record (EHR). Government officials, vendors, and consultants have propagated this confusion, in some cases unintentionally."

http://www.himssanalytics.org/docs/wp_emr_ehr.pdf

"The big difference between EMR and EHR, say EHR proponents, lies in the implications of the word "health." "Med-ical," they say, conjures up patient information stored in a physician's stand-alone computer. But in its ideal form, an electronic health record encompasses data in the computer systems of all healthcare organizations or providers who care for a patient, be they hospitals, physical therapists, pharmacists, or consulting physicians. Because these systems are connected, the patient and his caregivers can access the EHR, and add to it. In short, the EHR is patient-centered and transcends the doctor's office. "

http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/memag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=131518

Hope this helps you, too, clear up the confusion.

Signing Off,
Vivian
ViSO Tech