This issue brief discusses a critical concern during health center’s EHR contracting process – the need to preserve the ability to use data without excessive charges, which had hindered many health center’s ability to meet UDS and other reporting requirements.

This issue brief discusses a critical concern during health center’s health IT contracting process – the need to have access to the underlying database structures to the health IT applications (e.g., EHR, reporting system… etc.) The lack of access to database structure will hinder the health center’s ability to access the data captured in the system, and risk vendor lock-in and have records trapped in data silos in the future.

This tool is a template that health centers can use or modify to audit reports for accuracy and to resolve any issues identified in the process. It is intended to assist health centers in ensuring they have accurate reporting and a process to resolve issues.

This resource is intended to aid providers and health IT implementers in identifying a leadership team for a successful EHR implementation.  Selecting the right people for an EHR implementation team is a critical step in a successful implementation. In general, members of the team should be enthusiastic, well-respected and forward thinking. Team members should bring differing perspectives on how the EHR will be used and provide a wide array of skills and knowledge. The size of a practice will determine the size of the implementation team. For smaller practices, one person may be managing several of the areas of responsibility included. 

HRSA offers a web-based resource set to support the entire process of implementing a health IT system. This document is a guide to the website’s sections on what health centers need to know and how to select a certified EHR.