By David Bucciferro (Foothold Technology-Radicle Health), Outgoing Chair, EHR Association
Reflecting on 2023, the year was dominated primarily by five issues of importance to the EHR Association and its 29 member companies, all of which aligned with our overarching focus on collaborative efforts to accelerate health information and technology adoption, advance interoperability, and improve the quality and efficiency of care through the use of EHRs.
Read the full post »Posted by EHR Association on January 4, 2024
https://ehrablog.org/2024/01/04/looking-back-the-5-dominant-issues-of-2023/
By Hans Buitendijk (Oracle) Ex Officio Member, EHRA Executive Committee
As USCDI and USCDI+ expand, we see an increase in ambiguities in their data definitions that are creating increased challenges for programs and health IT required to support USCDI as intended. It’s of particular concern for certified health IT developers, as the ambiguity gap raises questions about what support is actually required, as HL7 FHIR US Core and HL7 CDA C-CDA specifications are used to certify to supporting USCDI.
Read the full post »Posted by EHR Association on December 20, 2023
https://ehrablog.org/2023/12/20/concerns-grow-over-ambiguity-of-uscdi-data-classes/
By Tammy Coutts (MEDITECH), Vice Chair of the EHR Association User Experience Work Group, and Mike Shonty (MEDITECH), Member of the User Experience Work Group
In the first installment of this two-part blog series on disability inclusion, we discussed disability exclusion and why accessibility is important to EHRs. In this second blog, we look at the role of personas in supporting accessibility in EHRs.
Identifying ways health IT can be designed to support and advance disability inclusion across healthcare to the benefit of anyone requiring accommodation to fully and effectively participate in or navigate the healthcare system is an EHR Association priority. It is the focus of the Accessibility Personas Project, the latest initiative to come out of the Association’s User Experience Work Group. The project’s goal is to build awareness of the ways disability exclusion impacts health IT users – patients, providers, and other healthcare workers – and identify design solutions to eliminate the challenges.
Read the full post »Posted by EHR Association on November 29, 2023
https://ehrablog.org/2023/11/29/disability-inclusion-part-two-introducing-accessibility-into-health-it-personas/
By Tammy Coutts (MEDITECH), Vice Chair of the EHR Association User Experience Work Group, and Mike Shonty (MEDITECH), Member of the User Experience Work Group
One in four Americans has a disability, whether temporary or permanent, including physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments that hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. The EHR Association has long focused on identifying ways health IT can be leveraged to advance disability inclusion across healthcare benefitting not only patients but also providers and other healthcare workers requiring accommodation to fully and effectively participate in both the provision and receipt of healthcare.
Most recently, the Association’s User Experience Work Group has turned its focus toward advancing disability inclusion with our latest project: building awareness of how disability exclusion impacts health IT users and identifying design solutions to eliminate the challenges. This includes expanding the Association’s Personas Library to include Accessibility Personas and potentially creating workflow scenarios.
Read the full post »Posted by EHR Association on November 15, 2023
https://ehrablog.org/2023/11/15/disability-inclusion-part-one-what-is-accessibility-and-why-its-important-for-ehrs/
By EHR Association SDOH & Health Equity Task Force
Global Health Equity Week, October 23 – 27, 2023, is a week of action that seeks to spotlight the transformative capabilities of health information and technology in reshaping healthcare, reducing health disparities, and improving access to healthcare for all communities. As part of its mission to improve the quality and efficiency of care through innovative, interoperable health IT adoption and use, the EHR Association continues to appeal to lawmakers and national regulators in support of expanding access to telehealth, addressing social determinants of health (SDOH), and increasing interoperability between healthcare providers and community-based organizations (CBOs).
Read the full post »Posted by EHR Association on October 24, 2023
https://ehrablog.org/2023/10/24/global-health-equity-week-bridging-healthcare-disparities-through-technology-and-policy-advocacy/
By the EHR Association Public Policy Leadership Workgroup
Leading the digital transformation of the healthcare industry, electronic health records (EHRs) and health information technology (IT) play a pivotal role in streamlining patient care and improving healthcare outcomes. This transformation comes with a host of regulatory and compliance requirements that EHR and health IT developers must navigate – this timeline highlights the challenges and complexities of a portion of the upcoming projects.
Posted by EHR Association on October 12, 2023
https://ehrablog.org/2023/10/12/timeline-to-comply-ehr-developers-face-a-complex-regulatory-compliance-landscape/
EHRA Blog 