Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems are central to and most directly related to patient care among all the health IT systems at health centers. This collection focuses on resources that assist health centers to select and implement the appropriate EHR system for their particular setting, whether it’s from a paper-based environment or migrating from an existing EHR system.

With Health Centers’ limited financial and human resources, they can ill afford missteps in EHR selection and implementation. Proper planning and selection can minimize the risk of failure in EHR selection and implementation, particularly contracting. Prior research conducted by the HITEQ staff showed that health centers need a solid understanding of the terms and conditions of EHR vendor contracts to ensure effective use of limited resources. Health centers which are acquiring, or migrating to new, health IT systems would benefit from strategies to avoid common vendor contract pitfalls in order to mitigate risks and to optimize EHR functionalities.

 

Given the integral role of EHR systems in delivering patient care, optimal EHR selection and implementation has a dramatic impact in helping health centers achieve the goals of the Triple/Quadruple Aim.

This collection is organized into two primary sections: Selection and Contracting. The Selection section contains EHR selection guides, needs analysis, workflow evaluation, and migration analysis. Examples of Selection-oriented resources include the MEHI EHR Planning Procurement Toolkit, Creating a Leadership Team for Successful EHR Implementation, the Vendor Evaluation Matrix, Request for Proposal Template for Health IT, How to Select a Certified EHR, and the SAFER guides. The Contracting section is organized around the ONC guide to EHR Key Contract Terms, and supplemented with issue briefs that addresses concern specific to the FQHC environment. These resources will help health center leaderships, HCCN/PCA staffs, and anyone who is involved in ensuring health centers obtain and use the most appropriate EHR systems for their particular setting.