JAMIA Study Notes EHR Functionality Needed To Support Primary Care

An AHRQ-funded study that examined gaps in current electronic health record (EHR) functionality found that enhancements would improve support for primary care. An abstract of “Electronic Health Record Functionality Needed to Better Support Primary Care” was published online January 15 in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. According to the authors, enhanced EHR functionality is still needed, including EHR modifications, expanded use of patient portals, seamless integration with external applications and advancement of national infrastructure and policies. The study said EHRs should move beyond documentation to interpreting and tracking information over time, as well as facilitating patient-partnering activities, support for team-based care, population-management tools that deliver care and reduced documentation burden. The American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Board of Family Medicine and North American Primary Care Research Group endorsed the paper.

J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2014 Jan 15. doi: 10.1136/amiajnl-2013-002229. [Epub ahead of print]

Electronic health record functionality needed to better support primary care.

Krist AH1, Beasley JW, Crosson JC, Kibbe DC, Klinkman MS, Lehmann CU, Fox CH, Mitchell JM, Mold JW,Pace WD, Peterson KA, Phillips RL, Post R, Puro J, Raddock M, Simkus R, Waldren SE.

Author information

Abstract

Electronic health records (EHRs) must support primary care clinicians and patients, yet many clinicians remain dissatisfied with their system. This article presents a consensus statement about gaps in current EHR functionality and needed enhancements to support primary care. The Institute of Medicine primary care attributes were used to define needs and meaningful use (MU) objectives to define EHR functionality. Current objectives remain focused on disease rather than the whole person, ignoring factors such as personal risks, behaviors, family structure, and occupational and environmental influences. Primary care needs EHRs to move beyond documentation to interpreting and tracking information over time, as well as patient-partnering activities, support for team-based care, population-management tools that deliver care, and reduced documentation burden. While stage 3 MU's focus on outcomes is laudable, enhanced functionality is still needed, including EHR modifications, expanded use of patient portals, seamless integration with external applications, and advancement of national infrastructure and policies.

KEYWORDS:

Electronic Health Records, Meaningful Use, Primary Care

PMID:

 

24431335

 

[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]