Patient-centered care is widely considered one of the most important movements in healthcare. It is believed that making the individual being treated the singular focus of all physician efforts will lead to lower costs and better outcomes. Experts say that health IT tools like EHRs will play a major role in patient-centered care.

Jodi Daniel, the director of the Office of Policy and Technology, recently wrote on the ONC's Health IT Buzz blog that giving physicians access to a patient's entire medical history is among the most important features of patient-centered care. This insures that the doctor has the right data about each individual at the appropriate time.

Furthermore, she wrote that EHRs and other health IT tools support efforts of patients while outside of their doctor's office, connect patients to their information, provide access to support communities and increase efficiency and access by making online appointments and other scheduling options possible.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine showed that individuals treated in patient-centered medical homes are less likely to require visits to their healthcare provider, which helps hold costs down.