EHR interoperability, regulations top patient record concerns

Last updated:June 2016

Editor's note

Electronic health records are used more frequently as healthcare providers learn to balance their function against EHR regulations. Patients also are clamoring for access to their data as a way to communicate with their physicians and better understand their care.

Meaningful use requirements, which hounded many hospital EHR efforts, will change with new regulations that will require physicians and healthcare systems to prove they're not blocking information flow among EHRs. The lack of interoperability between EHR systems is a common problem making headlines that healthcare providers and vendors will need to tackle more aggressively.

In this SearchHealthIT essential guide, read about EHR regulation updates, common EHR interoperability and security issues and what EHR software vendors are up to -- plus, top patient record concerns.

1EHR interoperability: Issues and news

Some vendors are reluctant to turn away from their legacy systems and join policymakers in their march toward EHR interoperability. However, the federal government is making moves to decrease information blocking. In the meantime, providers are still adopting and upgrading EHR systems and considering how their systems will hold up in the future. New technology presents providers with resources in the EHR interoperability struggle.

2Common EHR errors and security issues

Patient trust grows as EHRs become more widely utilized, but patient data security is still a major concern for healthcare organizations. For starters, electronic records are often riddled with errors. Then, there are ongoing debates related to information sharing and probability of data breaches. Read on to see how to remedy certain EHR errors, protect patient data and avoid breaches.

3EHR systems vendors and software

As the EHR market continues to grow and evolve, vendors like Epic Systems Corp. and Cerner Corp. battle for the top spot. Healthcare organizations shopping for electronic health records software have a lot to consider -- the price tag, interoperability, security and compliance are all top-of-mind. In this section, dive into the market numbers from CMS and KLAS. Then read use cases from nurses and healthcare CIOs.