Modern health care use of electronic health records (EHRs) is rapidly increasing globally. EHRs are clinical patient information repositories. Operationally, they serve as rich billing capture and financial management data sources. Clinically, they serve as tools for patient safety and research. As physician leaders, we must be at the forefront of this discussion if we are to continue being stewards for our patients and our profession. Whether your leadership decides to implement a new EHR or optimize an existing system, there are many important steps to follow to facilitate building the EHR that you need. Ultimately, an EHR can be a tool for positive change and help a health care system better meet its patients’ needs.
Typically, leadership forms a workgroup or task force to analyze existing workflows and prepares for “making them electronic.” The group includes physician champions and in-house/third-party vendor information technology (IT) experts. Physician champions have intimate...
