By Dan Seltzer and Alan Staples
Co-chairs, Clinician Impact Subgroup, EHRA Opioid Crisis Task Force
![screenshot_2018-12-26 ehra cdc opioid guideline implementation guide for ehrs - ehra-cdc-opioid-guideline-implementation-gu[...]](https://ehrablogdotorg1.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/screenshot_2018-12-26-ehra-cdc-opioid-guideline-implementation-guide-for-ehrs-ehra-cdc-opioid-guideline-implementation-gu....png?w=212&h=272)
The widespread opioid epidemic and its devastating effects flood our news feeds daily. No one is immune, which is why when the Electronic Health Record Association (EHRA) asked for volunteers to join a new Opioid Crisis Task Force, we and many others – including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists – stepped forward to share our experiences and expertise. For the past year, we have been conducting research and providing recommendations on new ways EHR technology can contribute solutions to help solve the complex puzzle of the opioid crisis.
Our most recent contribution is the CDC Opioid Guideline – Implementation Guide for Electronic Health Records.
Initial research and conversations with providers focused on the question, What do providers need from technology to support their efforts in the opioid crisis? The input we received led us to develop a guide to assist healthcare organizations implement clinical practice guidelines within the EHR to improve opioid stewardship in clinical practice. Read the full post »
Whether you work for a large health system or small physician practice, you know that securing your patients’ data is important, and it’s a responsibility you take seriously. But chances are, you haven’t fully implemented as many cybersecurity best practices as you could.
On August 2, 2018, CMS published the 2600-page pre-publication version of the
Developing a deep understanding of users and their surrounding environment is an important first step in the process of designing usable, safe and effective products. Documenting the who, why and how of individual users and the scenarios they face as part of normal (and abnormal) workflows can take the form of a persona, representing a real user based on qualitative and quantitative research and first-person experience. Personas enable clear understanding of the different users of a product and their goals, problems and backgrounds, cultivating empathy within a development team for who their users really are.