2023: A Year for Transformation in Electronic Health Records

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have come a long way since their inception. However, despite their evolution, there are still several issues that persist in the use of EHRs in healthcare systems. One of the major issues is the bulkiness and end-user-unfriendliness of the EHRs. This can lead to frustration and wastage of time for healthcare providers and patients alike.

In this blog post, we will discuss some of the issues with EHRs and suggest ways to improve the user experience. The author, a former emergency physician, highlights several examples of why EHRs can be frustrating to use. Some of the issues include irrelevant and outdated information, repetitive display of medications and lab tests, and poor search functionality.

With the recent physician professional fee update that took effect on January 1, 2023, the CPT© Evaluation and Management guidelines have changed to only consider medical decision-making or time as the determinant for level of service. This shift should give rise to a revision of templates in the EHR system, and an opportunity to address some of the other issues that make the EHR bulky and end-user-unfriendly.

The author suggests several ways to improve the EHR, such as having text occupy the entire page, purging all ICD-9 codes, having someone who reads and uses the information give feedback on fonts, and making it possible to default to all negatives without expansion. By addressing these issues, the EHR can become a more user-friendly tool for healthcare providers and patients.

Revisions to Improve the EHR User Experience:

• Have text occupy the entire page, from left to right
• Purge all ICD-9 codes
• Have someone who reads and uses the information give feedback on fonts for better readability
• Make it possible to default to all negatives without expansion
• Enable potentially irrelevant or rarely needed details to be made available only upon request
• Implement a system to curate and maintain the past medical history and/or problem list to ensure accuracy
• Streamline the display of medications and lab tests to exclude unnecessary details or explanations
• Avoid repeated display of medications and lab tests in the record
• Improve the search functionality to make it more functional and efficient
• Consider the importance of social determinants of health (SDoH) data gathering, but streamline its display to avoid taking up an entire page
• Reduce the burden of documentation by focusing on medical decision-making or time as the determinant for level of service.

In conclusion, EHRs have come a long way, but there is still room for improvement. By addressing the issues discussed in this blog post, we can create a more streamlined and efficient EHR system that benefits everyone in the healthcare system.

“Transform Your Medical Practice with a Modern EHR System: Take Action Now!”

Reference:

1. CPT © Evaluation and Management (E/M) Guidelines. (2023). American Medical Association.
2. Remer, E. E. (2023, January 30). How to Make the EHR More Effective. ICD10MONITOR