Electronic Health Records

Whether you are buying an EHR for the first time or switching EHRs, TMA has the resources to help you decide. You can compare basic functionality and pricing of mainstream EHRs, learn how to avoid contract pitfalls, and find many other tools to help you shop.

Trending EHR News

• New Law Requires Texas Physicians to Disclose AI, Provide Guardians EHR Access
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• Digital-Age Doctors: What the 21st Century Cures Act Has Done to Change Physician Practice

  TMA Calls on Federal Agencies to Reduce Physicians’ Tech Burdens

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Finding the Right EHR for Your Practice

With hundreds of EHR products, the marketplace offers a robust choice, and selecting a system that is right for your practice depends heavily on understanding the practice’s needs before seriously discussing a purchase with vendors. When the time comes to buy a system, emphasizing functionality and the practice’s readiness assessment can help vendors show you the product characteristics that create value for you and your practice.

• EHR vendors most used in Texas  
• TMA EHR Comparison Tool  
  Need help finding the right EMR for your practice? TMA is here to help.
• Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL) - ONC
• Questions for EHR Vendors
  Learn some of the important questions to ask vendors during the selection process.

• Questions for EHR Vendor References
  What questions should you ask when speaking to another practice that currently uses the EHR vendor you are considering?

• How to do an RFP for an EHR 

• AMA-Medstar Scorecard on EHR Usability Testing

If you’re shopping for an electronic health record (EHR), the Texas Medical Association’s EHR Comparison Tool is the place to start investigating options. This members-only benefit helps physicians identify product features, functionality, and pricing that will best suit their practice.

Contracting With EHR Vendors

Review these resources before signing a contract with an EHR vendor.

• Ten Tips for Getting a Good Deal From Your Tech Vendor
• EHR Buyer Beware: Issues to Consider When Contracting with EHR Vendors

• EHR Contracts: Key Contract Terms for Users to Understand - Prepared by Westat for the ONC

• Guide to Licensing and Service Agreements

Vendor Spotlight

TMA is proud to offer members free technology contract review services from Coker Group. Evaluations focus on potentially unfavorable terms and conditions with feedback on identified concerns. TMA members are also eligible for a five-percent discount on fees for contract negotiations.

Free Coker Group Evaluations

EHR Implementation

Introducing an HIT system into a practice requires a team effort, and before making any formal decisions, begin preparing your team. The careful, team-based redesign of work process is mission-critical to the success of HIT acquisition.

• Change Management in EHR Implementation (HealthIT.gov resource)
• Go-Live Planning Checklist (HealthIT.gov resource)

Switching EHRs

These resources cover things to consider then switching from one EHR vendor to another.

• Switching EHR Systems (TMA CME On Demand)
  This self-study is designed to help you think through all aspects of the process and minimize the disruption and risk as much as possible.
• Transition Issues: Switching EHRs (HealthIT.gov resource)
  Provides specific guidance for transitioning to a new EHR vendor, including, length of support, data portability, software license, transition support services, data transfer and conversion, and contract language and terms.
• Data Conversion a Hurdle in EHR Switch (E-Tips, Updated 2018)

Optimize the Safety of Your EHR

The SAFER Guides are designed to help healthcare organizations conduct self-assessments to optimize the safety and safe use of electronic health records (EHRs) in the following areas:

• High Priority Practices
• Organizational Responsibilities
• Contingency Planning
• System Configuration
• System Interfaces
• Patient Identification
• Computerized Provider Order Entry with Decision Support
• Test Results Reporting and Follow-Up
• Clinician Communication

The recommended practices in the SAFER Guides are intended to be useful for all EHR users, developers, patient safety organizations, and others who are concerned with optimizing the safe use of health IT.

Security

Protect your practice from health information leaks or breaches, and know what to do if they occur.

Free HHS Cybersecurity Training
The free platform released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services helps physicians and others working in health care protect against top electronic threats, such as ransomware and data loss. Each training contains videos and other easy-to-reference tools.  

Your EHR Vendor Is Not Responsible For Your Security Risk Assessment (Texas Medicine Today, Aug. 15, 2018)

HIPAA Resource Center

Security Risk Assessment Tool (HealthIT.gov)

Online encryption guide launched by AMA

Managing the Inbox

Physicians are often overburdened and overloaded with messages in their inbox demanding their attention, whether from labs, pharmacies, patients, referring physicians, or other entities.

New tools are being developed to help physicians manage their inbox which is inundated with messages from multiple sources. If your inbox is untamed, tap into these resources to help control it.

Medical Office Policies and Procedures: Managing the Inbox or In-Basket Messages This Word document can be downloaded and modified specific to the needs of your practice.

Inbox Overload: How to Tackle Time-Consuming Electronic Messages (Texas Medicine, Nov. 2024)

Removing the Noise in the Electronic Health Record (Texas Health Services Authority, Nov. 2024)

A Systematic Approach to Reducing EHR Inbox Burden (AMA, July 2024)

Taming the EHR Playbook (AMA, Dec. 2023)

9 Steps to reduce the EHR inbox – and stress – at the system level (AMA, Aug. 2023)

A System-Level Approach to EHR Inbox Reduction (AMA webinar; May 2023)

Patient Engagement

Use the following resources to learn more about patient engagement related to EHRs and the Meaningful Use Program.

The Guide to Getting & Using Your Health Records - Office of the National Coordinator resource (for patients)

Six Ways to Increase Practice Portal Sign-Ups (TMA Practice E-Tips, Nov. 23, 2016)

Electronic Patient Engagement Tools: A Guide for Physicians - TMA whitepaper, February 2016

Enhancing Patient-Centered Communication and Collaboration by Using the EHR in the Exam Room - The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) 2013

Personal Health Records: What Physicians Need to Know - TMA whitepaper, April 2008