The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), the leading professional association for informatics professionals, recommends changes to managing electronic health records (EHRs) that will support patient engagement, improve provider workflow, support innovation, and set the stage for future improvements that will improve patients’ health and health care.
Recommended changes, which represent an evolutionary approach in the management of patient medical data, are based on a study by the EH 2020 Task Force, a distinguished group of experts. Findings are detailed in the “Report of the AMAI EHR 2020 Task Force of the Status and Future Direction of EHRs,” published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA).
The report calls for simplification and speed with regard to documentation; a refocus of regulation; increased transparency and streamlined certification; fostering innovation; and the need for EHRs to support person-centered care delivery.
AMIA worked with many groups, government agencies, and professional organizations to determine methods to solve EHR challenges that providers encounter, and to further create a sustainable framework for innovation in EHRs.
“Health information technology is a key part of enhancing health and health care, and empowering patients to be first-order participants in their care. As part of this report, we listened to our members who work closely with EHRs to understand the current challenges. We think these recommendations will improve the value that EHRs will provide to patients, and set the stage for more significant benefit in the future,” says Douglas B. Fridsma, M.D., president and chief executive officer, AMIA.
Security and confidentiality are at the heart of EHR planning since its inception and AMIA is acutely aware of the concerns of the general public as well as the medical community.
“While we recognize that there are challenges with implementing and using EHR technology, this report is aimed at practical solutions that we believe will improve health and health care for patients and their caregivers. We are hopeful that it will generate the thoughtful conversations and innovations that will make what is possible, real for all patients,” says Thomas Payne, M.D., chair, AMIA EHR 2020 Task Force, medical director, IT Services, University of Washington (UW) Medicine, and associate director, UW Medicine Center for Scholarship in Patient Care Quality and Safety.
A full copy of the report is available here.
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