Electronic Health Records (EHR, EMR)

AHRQ is helping the transition towards evidence-based recommendations to guide clinical decision-making that incorporates patients' needs and preferences. 

Kim Clarke, assistant CIO at West Virginia United Health System, says even though more than half of WVU hospitals are in rural areas, all patients get the same level of care because of EMRAM Stage 7.

The technology can complement EHRs, reduce errors and enhance time management, explains Dr. Subha Airan-Javia, a hospitalist at University of Pennsylvania Health System and founder of CareAlign.

At Penn Medicine, agile methods have been adopted by a number of information technology teams, including teams that support its enterprise EHR, data analytics, IT operations and systems administration.

Digital innovation and policy changes at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are improving access to healthcare for veterans and their families, says Jim Gfrerer, former CIO at the VA, who shares some predictions about the future of healthcare.

The FDB Vela electronic prescribing network will improve contracting and access for pharmacies and clinicians, and provide patients with more control over their prescriptions, says Bob Katter, president of First Databank.

Health IT leaders and federal officials have spent years attempting to solve the challenges Larry Ellison says his company can fix. Many experts are skeptical. But if Oracle can make it happen, it would be a major achievement for healthcare.

Baha Zeidan, CEO of Azalea Health, says that the company's customers are using its new apps marketplace to optimize their EHRs.

The CMIO talks about EHR optimization, burnout and amping up patient and provider experience by taking real-time prescription data to the point of care.

This week's top stories include providers looking for an extension of the pandemic public health emergency that created waivers and flexibilities, and Oracle databases powering Cerner systems at DOD, Coast Guard and VA sites went offline for hours.