An electronic medical record (EMR) is a digital version of the paper charts in a doctor’s office. They contain primarily the notes and information collected by and for the clinicians in that office.

An electronic health record (EHR) is built to share information with other health care providers, such as laboratories and specialists. They contain information from all the clinicians involved in the patient’s care and authorized clinicians can access the information they need, to provide care to that patient.

Personal health records (PHRs) contain the same types of information as electronic health records—diagnoses, medications, immunizations, family medical history, and contact information for providers—but are designed to be set up and accessed by patients themselves. A PHR is a record controlled by the individual and may include health information from a variety of sources, including multiple health care providers and the patients themselves.