Health IT optimization
The health IT optimization process refines healthcare technology systems to improve performance, efficiency and user experience. The process streamlines workflows, enhancing data integration and accessibility, and may include implementing updates or add-ons. Understand how optimization efforts maximize the value of health IT investments.
Top Stories
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19 Nov 2024
Digital Health Most Wired: Health IT budgets doubled in 2024
The 2024 Digital Health Most Wired survey revealed significant increases in health IT budgets, adoption of patient engagement tools and a stronger emphasis on cybersecurity. Continue Reading
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04 Nov 2024
How generative AI in healthcare is helping cut admin burden
Over 90% of healthcare workers feel optimistic about the promise of generative AI in healthcare to alleviate administrative burdens, according to a new survey. Continue Reading
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20 Mar 2023
How HL7 FHIR APIs Are Driving Healthcare Innovation, Interoperability
With use cases across clinical care, research, health information exchange (HIE), and public health, HL7 FHIR APIs span the healthcare innovation spectrum. Continue Reading
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17 Mar 2023
VA Report Outlines Solutions to Key EHRM Patient Safety Issues
With go-lives at VA health centers set to resume in June, a VA team suggested technical fixes for patient safety issues related to the EHRM program. Continue Reading
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16 Mar 2023
Rigid MAT EHR Workflows Add to Nurses’ Cognitive Load
Researchers suggested that medication administration technology (MAT) that compiles essential patient information could improve nurses’ EHR workflows. Continue Reading
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14 Mar 2023
Clinical Decision Support EHR Alert Doubles Heart Failure Drug Prescriptions
A banner-like EHR alert was a more effective form of clinical decision support than a monthly email for improving MRA prescription rates. Continue Reading
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24 Feb 2023
KLAS Ranks Long Term Care EHR Vendor Performance, Customer Satisfaction
According to KLAS, long term care organizations are highly satisfied with EHR vendor PointClickCare, but some customers want more communication regarding new functionality. Continue Reading
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22 Feb 2023
Analyzing Free-Text EHR Orders to Support Clinical Workflow Optimization
Patterns of nursing-related free-text EHR orders can reflect clinical workflow problems that force providers to use system “workarounds.” Continue Reading
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16 Feb 2023
ONC Brief Outlines How Standardized SDOH CDS Can Support Health Equity
CDS systems that include SDOH factors could improve health equity through widespread adoption, ONC officials suggested. Continue Reading
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16 Feb 2023
8 in 10 Care Orgs Collect SDOH Data, But EHR Coding Challenges Persist
Eighty-three percent of respondents in an AHIMA survey listed staff training and education as a top challenge for EHR coding of SDOH data. Continue Reading
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10 Feb 2023
Site-Specific ‘Discount’ EHR Usability Testing Can Improve Clinician Experience
‘Discount’ EHR usability testing on a small group of providers helped an organization flag system issues to optimize the clinician experience. Continue Reading
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10 Feb 2023
EHR-Based SDOH Screening Accuracy Falls Short for Housing Instability
While EHR-based SDOH screening and external single-domain questionnaires share much of the same wording, they may measure different constructs, a new study found. Continue Reading
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08 Feb 2023
Leveraging EHR Audit Logs to Inform Clinician Burnout Interventions
Healthcare systems can use EHR audit logs to characterize how physicians spend time on the EHR, offering strategic insight on how to mediate clinician burnout, ONC officials said. Continue Reading
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07 Feb 2023
Regenstrief Institute Appoints New CEO to Drive Health Equity Research
Rachel E. Patzer, PhD, MPH, an epidemiology and health equity research expert, will officially begin her new role as CEO of the Regenstrief Institute on May 1. Continue Reading
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06 Feb 2023
Machine Learning Model Predicts Physician Departure With EHR Use Metrics
The machine learning model found that physician demographics, EHR use metrics, and patient panel characteristics contributed most to the risk of physician departure. Continue Reading
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02 Feb 2023
Non-Interruptive CDS EHR Integration Boosts ED Naloxone Prescribing
A CDS EHR integration increased clinician use of a standard OD documentation template, which helped improve naloxone prescribing practices. Continue Reading
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30 Jan 2023
Veradigm Makes EHR Data Available in OMOP CDM Data Standard for RWE
Veradigm Network EHR data, which contains RWE from over 170 million patients, will now be available in the OMOP CDM data standard. Continue Reading
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27 Jan 2023
KLAS: Infection Control Health IT Streamlines Regulatory Reporting
Many Epic EHR customers are leaving their best-of-breed infection control health IT and moving to Epic Bugsy for regulatory reporting, the KLAS report found. Continue Reading
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26 Jan 2023
Ambient Clinical Intelligence EHR Documentation May Fall Short
Over 90 percent of the time, ambient clinical intelligence EHR documentation was incorrect for non-lexical conversational sounds like “Mm-hm” that conveyed clinically relevant information. Continue Reading
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25 Jan 2023
State, Federal Healthcare Datasets Exclude Prison Hospital Data
Researchers have limited access to prison hospital data, as health information from hospitals managed by DOCs are not included in federal healthcare datasets. Continue Reading
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23 Jan 2023
Racial Disparity in ED EHR Behavioral Flags Draws Implicit Bias Concerns
ED clinicians were more likely to use EHR behavioral flags for Black patients than White patients, which could have implications for implicit bias. Continue Reading
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20 Jan 2023
ONC Data Shows Increase in ePrescribing Adoption for Controlled Substances
The ONC data revealed that 62 percent of prescribers used ePrescribing for controlled substances (EPCS) “often” in 2021 compared to 37 percent of prescribers in 2019. Continue Reading
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16 Jan 2023
Reduction in EHR Inbox Notifications Not Enough to Cut Clinician Burnout
Collaboration between health system leaders and primary care providers is necessary to address clinician burnout brought on by EHR inbox notifications. Continue Reading
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13 Jan 2023
KLAS Outlines Strategies to Improve Clinician EHR Satisfaction
KLAS outlined several strategies on how healthcare systems can improve clinician EHR satisfaction as part of a study conducted through its Arch Collaborative initiative. Continue Reading
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12 Jan 2023
69% of Hospitals Can Access Clinical Documentation Measures from EHR Vendors
Critical access hospitals are less likely to have access to clinical documentation measures from their EHR vendors than their higher-resourced counterparts. Continue Reading
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09 Jan 2023
Electronic Informed Consenting Improves Data for Clinical Research
Clinical research participants completed 100 percent of electronic informed consenting fields, compared to 94 percent of data in paper-based consenting surveys. Continue Reading
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06 Jan 2023
Behavioral Nudges in EHR Workflows May Reduce Healthcare Waste
While behavioral nudges in EHR workflows can reduce healthcare waste, stakeholders must balance the benefits with the cost of their implementation. Continue Reading
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04 Jan 2023
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Cases to Mitigate Clinician Burnout
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools can automate administrative tasks to help address clinician burnout and give providers more time to deliver patient-centered care. Continue Reading
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29 Dec 2022
EHR Optimization, Clinical Automation Top Health IT Priorities Next Year
Health IT vendor executives say that healthcare organizations will look to EHR optimization and clinical automation in 2023 to address clinician burnout. Continue Reading
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12 Dec 2022
KLAS Weighs User Experience to Rank Clinical Decision Support Vendors
According to a KLAS report, consumers want CDS vendors to boost solution usability through training, proactive support, and easy navigation while ensuring affordability. Continue Reading
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09 Dec 2022
Using Machine Learning to Help Characterize Clinician EHR Behavior, Workflows
The machine learning approach identified two distinct EHR information-gathering strategies, which could reflect individual variations in clinician EHR behavior. Continue Reading
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07 Dec 2022
Nonprofit Integrates EHR Data into Duchenne Registry for Clinical Research
The organization will securely send EHR data from consented patients' health records to the Duchenne Registry to build a comprehensive dataset for clinical research. Continue Reading
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06 Dec 2022
PPRL Boosts Patient Matching Across Clinical Research Networks
Privacy-preserving record linkage (PPRL) produces unique sets of de-identified tokens to support patient matching for clinical research. Continue Reading
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05 Dec 2022
ONC: Interoperable Health IT Key for HIV Prevention, Health Equity Efforts
The latest National HIV/AIDS Strategy Federal Implementation Plan outlines interoperable health IT as a strategy to enhance HIV prevention efforts and health equity. Continue Reading
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02 Dec 2022
Hispanic, Female Healthcare Providers More Likely to Report Clinician Burnout
Multivariable models identified Hispanic and female healthcare providers as particularly vulnerable to clinician burnout, even when accounting for variations in EHR message volume. Continue Reading
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30 Nov 2022
athenahealth Launches Clinical Advisory Board to Improve EHR Workflow
The EHR vendor will bring on the clinical advisory board consisting of 30 members aiming to address EHR workflow challenges such as provider burnout. Continue Reading
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29 Nov 2022
How AI Scribe Technology Can Cut Clinician Burnout from EHR Documentation
A New York FQHC adopted an AI-based EHR documentation service from eClinicalWorks to alleviate clinician burnout after its on-site scribe service went virtual due to COVID-19. Continue Reading
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23 Nov 2022
CHIME Awards TrueCare CIO Collaboration Award for Health IT Partnership
CHIME member TrueCare reduced patient no-show rates by four percent through collaboration with health IT vendor Artera. Continue Reading
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22 Nov 2022
Behavioral Health Org Pursues EHR Optimization for Gender-Affirming Care
Clinical documentation of chosen names and pronouns jumped from 52.5 percent to 99 percent after the gender-affirming care EHR optimization project. Continue Reading
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14 Nov 2022
Team-based Clinical Documentation Cuts Physician Time Spent on EHR Notes
Researchers found that decreased time spent on EHR notes is primarily a function of manual text reduction and team-based clinical documentation practices. Continue Reading
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11 Nov 2022
Elation Health Leads in Small Practice EHR Satisfaction Ranking
Elation Health took home the top small practice EHR satisfaction ranking, outpacing many of its EHR vendor competitors in performance, training, experience, and functionality. Continue Reading
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28 Oct 2022
Home Health Agencies Look to Epic, MEDITECH EHR Implementations for Interoperability
Home health agencies report high satisfaction with Epic EHR implementations for advancing interoperability, but some desire additional documentation enhancements. Continue Reading
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28 Oct 2022
Standardized Disability EHR Data Collection Key to Health Equity
Researchers recently issued recommendations to improve health equity and address the inequities of people with disabilities through better standardized disability EHR data collection. Continue Reading
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26 Oct 2022
CDS EHR Integration Boosts Contextualized Care Delivery
By drawing on data specific to patient life circumstances, CDS EHR integrations can guide contextually informed decision-making. Continue Reading
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26 Oct 2022
NextGen Healthcare Achieves 2015 ONC Health IT Update Certification
Receiving the 2015 edition ONC Health IT Update Certification will help NextGen providers meet federal reporting requirements, including the latest 21st Century Cures Act regulations. Continue Reading
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25 Oct 2022
Providers Focus on EHR Optimization to Boost Interoperability
To improve cross-solution interoperability, providers are looking for EHR optimization in areas like telehealth, which remains a critical strategic priority. Continue Reading
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24 Oct 2022
ACOs Call on ONC, EHR Vendors for CMS eCQM Reporting Support
ACOs often work with many EHR vendors, so eCQM reporting requires major investment in data aggregation tools. Continue Reading
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24 Oct 2022
PCP EHR Screen Time Linked to Higher Quality Outcomes
While PCP EHR screen time has been associated with clinician burnout, it may represent a level of thoroughness that enhances certain quality outcomes. Continue Reading
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21 Oct 2022
Regenstrief Influenza Study Aims to Boost Public Health with HIE Data
The CDC-funded public health project aims to support resource allocation across the state for Influenza by using HIE data. Continue Reading
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20 Oct 2022
ONC-Funded FHIR Project for Patient Data Access Takes Health Equity Focus
Researchers identified the preferences of a diverse group of patients to create a FHIR-based platform for patient data access that could help boost health equity. Continue Reading
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19 Oct 2022
MEDITECH Announces Advancements to Population Health Management Tool
Users of MEDITECH’s population health management tool will be able to use powerful data assets directly from their EHR work to better understand community health needs. Continue Reading
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19 Oct 2022
Using CDS Alerts to Drive Patient Safety, Opioid Stewardship
Implementing clinical decision support (CDS) alerts for opioid stewardship helped Fort Healthcare improve patient safety by increasing the rate of naloxone prescriptions. Continue Reading
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18 Oct 2022
Health IT Vendors, Care Orgs Earn Surescripts ePrescribing Award
Winners of the ePrescribing award from health IT vendor Surescripts include Walmart, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and CenterWell Pharmacy. Continue Reading
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17 Oct 2022
CHIME Names UPMC ‘Digital Health Most Wired’ for 24th Year
UPMC earned the highest score in CHIME’s “Digital Health Most Wired” survey for implementing advanced health IT to improve care in both ambulatory and acute settings. Continue Reading
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14 Oct 2022
Genomic Data EHR Integration Cuts Clinician Time to Order Test by 75%
As providers increasingly strive to deliver patient-centered care, EHR integration of genomic data could help providers save time and mitigate burnout. Continue Reading
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10 Oct 2022
Racial Disparities in EHR Family Health Information Present CDS Concern
Interventions to improve EHR family health information collection in historically underserved groups could help address informative presence bias in CDS. Continue Reading
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07 Oct 2022
Drummond Group Releases Pediatrics Health IT Certification Program
The Pediatrics Health IT Certification Program allows EHR vendors to earn 'advanced badges' in data security and pediatrics medication management. Continue Reading
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04 Oct 2022
Vendor-Derived EHR Use Measures Present Research Limitations
A review published in JAMIA found inconsistencies between investigator- and vendor-derived measures for EHR use. Continue Reading
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30 Sep 2022
Over 50% of Text in EHR Notes is Duplicate Clinical Documentation
Duplicate content in EHR notes increases the time for physicians to determine which data is accurate and creates viral copies of errors that can spread through clinical documentation. Continue Reading
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27 Sep 2022
USA Health Cuts Sepsis Mortality Rate With Oracle Cerner EHR Workflows
The Sepsis Performance Improvement team included a diverse representation of departments to oversee the adoption of workflow changes within the Oracle Cerner EHR. Continue Reading
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26 Sep 2022
‘Meaningful Use’ EHRs May Be Key to Improved Quality of Care
Hospitals that meet the “Meaningful Use” EHR requirements were able to improve quality of care and reduce patient mortality rates more than other hospitals. Continue Reading
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23 Sep 2022
Specialty-Specific EHR Training Drives Clinician Satisfaction
EHR vendors can help boost clinician satisfaction and experience by designing ongoing specialty-specific EHR training, KLAS researchers said. Continue Reading
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22 Sep 2022
Using EHR Data to Help Prevent Avoidable Hospital Transfers
Regenstrief research scientists have piloted a tool for nursing homes that uses EHR data to retrospectively flag avoidable hospital transfers to support quality improvement. Continue Reading
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21 Sep 2022
Clinician Burnout Reaches New High During COVID-19 After 6-Year Decline
New data suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased emotional exhaustion in physicians and exacerbated women's increased risk for clinician burnout. Continue Reading
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16 Sep 2022
NextGen Releases New EHR Functionality for Foster Care Services
The newest version of NextGen Healthcare’s Behavioral Health Suite will extend EHR functionality to improve clinical workflow for providers of patients in foster care. Continue Reading
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15 Sep 2022
EHR Vendor Epic Releases Program for Clinical Trial Access, Matchmaking
The initiative from EHR vendor Epic is set to boost clinical trial efficiency by connecting researchers, care teams, patients, and sponsors through one platform. Continue Reading
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15 Sep 2022
User-Focused EHR Design Needed to Drive Care Improvement
EHR design and training must focus on end-user needs to ensure health IT does not add to clinician burden, AMCI panelists said. Continue Reading
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12 Sep 2022
Incomplete Patient Data Delays Prior Authorization for Specialty Medications
Almost all specialty pharmacists surveyed agreed that having patient-specific benefit data would help speed up the prior authorization process for specialty medications. Continue Reading
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12 Sep 2022
Why Healthcare Must Address Legacy Communications Infrastructure
The expiration of price protections for analog communications infrastructure should prompt healthcare organizations to invest in changes to their fax devices and capabilities. Continue Reading
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08 Sep 2022
Awareness of EHR SDOH Documentation Capabilities Varies by Practice Type
Community health center physicians were more likely to be aware of EHR capabilities for social determinants of health (SDOH) documentation than other providers. Continue Reading
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06 Sep 2022
Indian Health Service Awards $89M Contract for EHR System Support
GDIT will support the Indian Health Service with EHR system software development through a five-year contract. Continue Reading
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31 Aug 2022
Post-Acute Care Orgs Face EHR Interoperability Challenges
Post-acute care organizations reported that their EHR products lack the functionality to support interoperability and reporting. Continue Reading
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24 Aug 2022
‘Disability Data Justice’ Approach Needed for Public Health Infrastructure
A recent Health Affairs article outlines six recommendations on how public health infrastructure can support data collection for people with disabilities. Continue Reading
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17 Aug 2022
VA Digital Healthcare Playbook Highlights Health IT Optimization Case Studies
Phase one of the VA Digital Healthcare Playbook highlights projects that have helped improve health information exchange and health IT usability. Continue Reading
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15 Aug 2022
VA Releases Digital Healthcare Playbook to Improve Patient Care
The guide will help healthcare leaders navigate digital healthcare solutions to better patient care, streamline operational efficiencies, and lower costs, VA official stated. Continue Reading
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12 Aug 2022
Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation Taps Oracle Cerner EHR Integration
The Oracle Cerner EHR integration will allow clinicians to personalize care by assigning patients digital content through the patient portal. Continue Reading
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08 Aug 2022
Improved EHR Functionality Needed for Behavioral Preventative Care
EHR functionality should support the multistep process of behavioral preventative care screenings and adapt as the clinician enters patient data for referral support. Continue Reading
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03 Aug 2022
How eCR Can Cut Clinician Burden, Advance Public Health Surveillance
Electronic case reporting (eCR) has helped the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) decrease clinician burden throughout COVID-19. Continue Reading
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29 Jul 2022
How EHR-Based Card Studies Can Streamline Data Collection, Analysis
Moving card studies to the EHR can help enhance point-of-care research and analysis by linking survey results to EHR data. Continue Reading
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28 Jul 2022
Surescripts Reports Increase in Specialty Medications Health IT Use
Health IT vendor Surescripts completed 421 percent more Specialty Medications Gateway transactions in the first five months of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. Continue Reading
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27 Jul 2022
Is Physician EHR Use a Detriment to the Patient Experience?
Two-thirds of physicians reported that EHR use negatively impacted patient experience, but patients felt differently, with 91 percent of patients saying physician EHR use had a positive impact. Continue Reading
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19 Jul 2022
Health Data Exchange Barriers Impede Widespread Interoperability
Office-based physicians said using multiple systems to enable exchange, data sharing within a network, and cross-vendor exchange are challenging health data exchange barriers. Continue Reading
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15 Jul 2022
Health System, Vendor Collaboration Needed to Improve EHR Functionality
Industry collaboration is needed to improve EHR functionality and protect the cognitive attention of clinical teams, according to a JAMA Network Open viewpoint. Continue Reading
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14 Jul 2022
How Real-Time Prescription Benefit EHR Integrations Drive Price Transparency
A real-time prescription benefit EHR integration is helping providers at Presbyterian Healthcare find treatment options that fit the needs, and wallets, of patients. Continue Reading
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14 Jul 2022
How Real-Time Prescription Benefit EHR Integrations Drive Price Transparency
A real-time prescription benefit EHR integration is helping providers at Presbyterian Healthcare find treatment options that fit the needs, and wallets, of patients. Continue Reading
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13 Jul 2022
Interoperability, User-Centered EHR Design Key to Tackling Clinician Burnout
The Surgeon General said that health IT vendors should prioritize interoperability and user-centered EHR design to help address clinician burnout. Continue Reading
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12 Jul 2022
Mayo Clinic EHR Training Program Boosts User Confidence Postimplementation
The EHR training program increased user confidence in skills by 13.5 points, and survey results showed that participants maintained this confidence level after six months. Continue Reading
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06 Jul 2022
Lower Opioid Prescription EHR Defaults Linked to Prescribing Reduction
Researchers used data on patient-reported opioid consumption to adjust EHR defaults for pediatric otolaryngology patients. Continue Reading
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06 Jul 2022
Ambulatory EHR Vendors Must Improve on EHR Usability, Workflow
According to a KLAS report, 70 percent of consumers want ambulatory EHR vendors to improve on EHR usability and workflow. Continue Reading
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29 Jun 2022
EHR Vendor athenahealth Launches Voice-Driven Tech to Cut Clinician Burnout
With clinician burnout on the rise, EHR vendor athenahealth has released voice-driven tech that aims to streamline clinical documentation. Continue Reading
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28 Jun 2022
FQHCs Look to EHR Vendors to Stay Independent from Hospital Affiliation
A vast majority of FQHCs agreed that their EHR vendor will play an even more important role as they shift to value-based care payment models. Continue Reading
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23 Jun 2022
How Public Health Data Reporting Automation Supports Patient-Centered Care
Fresenius Medical Care automated COVID-19 public health data reporting to drive patient-centered care and mitigate clinician burden, saving each clinic 8 hours per week. Continue Reading
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21 Jun 2022
Trust in Health IT Leadership Key to Provider EHR Experience
Care organizations where providers have high trust levels in health IT leadership are uniquely set up to address clinician burnout and support the EHR experience. Continue Reading
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17 Jun 2022
Epic Virtual Care Solution Delivers Strong Patient Experience, Integration
Epic customers said a unified system where patients can access their EHR data and receive virtual care has enhanced the patient experience. Continue Reading
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16 Jun 2022
Over Half of Prescribers Use Surescripts Real-Time Prescription Benefit
Prescribers using Surescripts Real-Time Prescription Benefit through their athenahealth EHR saved patients over $40 per prescription in March 2022. Continue Reading
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13 Jun 2022
How ePrescribing Health IT for Controlled Substances Supports Patient Safety
New data shows that 96 percent of non-federal acute care hospitals have adopted ePrescribing health IT for controlled substances, a 29 percent increase from 2018. Continue Reading
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10 Jun 2022
Clinician Governance, EHR Training May Boost EHR User Satisfaction
A KLAS Arch Collaborative report found governance structure and EHR training have the greatest impact on user EHR user satisfaction. Continue Reading
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10 Jun 2022
Excessive Documentation, Staffing Challenges Driving Clinician Burnout
More than half of physicians surveyed noted that staffing challenges, including retention and shortages, contribute to clinician burnout. Continue Reading
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09 Jun 2022
How APIs Streamlined COVID-19 Case Reporting, Enhanced Data Quality
Automatic data transfer via an application programming interface (API) improved data quality for COVID-19 cases and death rates and reduced the COVID-19 case reporting process by over 25 minutes. Continue Reading
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06 Jun 2022
CDS Hooks Present Opportunity to Boost SMART on FHIR App Utilization
Researchers found that using CDS Hooks to recommend a SMART on FHIR app can increase app utilization by 130 percent. Continue Reading
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06 Jun 2022
EHR Speed, Reliability Linked to Clinician Satisfaction, Patient Safety
EHR system response time can impact perceptions of patient safety and overall clinician satisfaction. Continue Reading
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02 Jun 2022
ONC 2015 Edition Health IT Adoption Reduced Duplicate Orders
ONC 2015 Edition Health IT adoption decreased the likelihood of duplicate orders by 40 percent. But, hospitals that also engaged in interoperable data exchange were even less likely to have duplicate tests. Continue Reading