Commissioned by the Department of Health and Human Services, Key Capabilities of an Electronic Health Record System provides guidance on the most significant care delivery-related capabilities of electronic health record (EHR) systems. There is a great deal of interest in both the public and private sectors in encouraging all health care providers to migrate from paper-based health records to a system that stores health information electronically and employs computer-aided decision support systems. In part, this interest is due to a growing recognition that a stronger information technology infrastructure is integral to addressing national concerns such as the need to improve the safety and the quality of health care, rising health care costs, and matters of homeland security related to the health sector. Key Capabilities of an Electronic Health Record System provides a set of basic functionalities that an EHR system must employ to promote patient safety, including detailed patient data (e.g., diagnoses, allergies, laboratory results), as well as decision-support capabilities (e.g., the ability to alert providers to potential drug-drug interactions). The book examines care delivery functions, such as database management and the use of health care data standards to better advance the safety, quality, and efficiency of health care in the United States.

The HIMSS Nicholas E. Davies Award Program provides the nation's largest collection of first-hand accounts of the vision, leadership, technology and management required to achieve successful electronic health record (EHR) implementation in large healthcare organizations and ambulatory practices. This book is a remarkable collection of 32 case studies from both the organizational and ambulatory tracts of the Davies Program from the time period of 1995 through 2005. In addition, five of the case studies are presented with follow-up profiles, showcasing what these award-winning institutions accomplished in the years following successful EHR implementation. The introduction of the book highlights the lessons learned from these pioneering organizations with regard to leadership, implementation, and value and return on investment.

The American Medical Association asked RAND Health to characterize the factors that affect physician professional satisfaction. RAND researchers sought to identify high-priority determinants of professional satisfaction by gathering data from 30 physician practices in six states, using a combination of surveys and semistructured interviews. This report presents the results of the subsequent analysis.

This manual has been designed as a basic reference for use when exploring the development and implementation of electronic health record (EHR) systems. It provides a general overview, some basic definitions and examples of EHR practices. Also covered are points for consideration when moving towards the introduction of an EHR, some issues and challenges which may need to be addressed and some possible strategies, along with steps and activities to implementation. There is a particular focus on setting goals, revising policies, developing an action plan and outlining implementation procedures.

Despite pressure from the private sector to market their own custom solutions, the healthcare industry is coming around to the idea of applying the strategies of collaboration, open solutions, and innovation to meet the ever-changing demands for healthcare information to support quality and safety. This book provides a roadmap for improving quality of care using Electronic Health Records (EHR) and interoperable, consumer-centric health information solutions. Important Notice: The digital edition of this book is missing some of the images or content found in the physical edition.

Most industries have plunged into data automation, but health care organizations have lagged in moving patients' medical records from paper to computers. In its first edition, this book presented a blueprint for introducing the computer-based patient record (CPR). The revised edition adds new information to the original book. One section describes recent developments, including the creation of a computer-based patient record institute. An international chapter highlights what is new in this still-emerging technology. An expert committee explores the potential of machine-readable CPRs to improve diagnostic and care decisions, provide a database for policymaking, and much more, addressing these key questions: Who uses patient records? What technology is available and what further research is necessary to meet users' needs? What should government, medical organizations, and others do to make the transition to CPRs? The volume also explores such issues as privacy and confidentiality, costs, the need for training, legal barriers to CPRs, and other key topics.

America's health care system has become too complex and costly to continue business as usual. Best Care at Lower Cost explains that inefficiencies, an overwhelming amount of data, and other economic and quality barriers hinder progress in improving health and threaten the nation's economic stability and global competitiveness. According to this report, the knowledge and tools exist to put the health system on the right course to achieve continuous improvement and better quality care at a lower cost. The costs of the system's current inefficiency underscore the urgent need for a systemwide transformation. About 30 percent of health spending in 2009-roughly $750 billion-was wasted on unnecessary services, excessive administrative costs, fraud, and other problems. Moreover, inefficiencies cause needless suffering. By one estimate, roughly 75,000 deaths might have been averted in 2005 if every state had delivered care at the quality level of the best performing state. This report states that the way health care providers currently train, practice, and learn new information cannot keep pace with the flood of research discoveries and technological advances. About 75 million Americans have more than one chronic condition, requiring coordination among multiple specialists and therapies, which can increase the potential for miscommunication, misdiagnosis, potentially conflicting interventions, and dangerous drug interactions. Best Care at Lower Cost emphasizes that a better use of data is a critical element of a continuously improving health system, such as mobile technologies and electronic health records that offer significant potential to capture and share health data better. In order for this to occur, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, IT developers, and standard-setting organizations should ensure that these systems are robust and interoperable. Clinicians and care organizations should fully adopt these technologies, and patients should be encouraged to use tools, such as personal health information portals, to actively engage in their care. This book is a call to action that will guide health care providers; administrators; caregivers; policy makers; health professionals; federal, state, and local government agencies; private and public health organizations; and educational institutions.