New site collects EHR complaints for educational purposes

Have a beef about your practice’s implementation or use of an electronic health record (EHR) system? You can report it at EHRevent.org, a new site launched by the not-for-profit iHealth Alliance in collaboration with federal agencies and PDR Network.

Medical societies, professional liability carriers, and government agencies will use the information to help educate your colleagues on the potential challenges that EHR systems may bring-those associated with software problems, inadequate user training, and security breaches, among others. The FDA also will use data collected to help evaluate safety issues that may arise during the widespread implementation of this technology.

“EHRs are being adopted at record rates and present an opportunity to advance patient care,” says Nancy Dickey, MD, iHealth Alliance chairwoman and former president of the American Medical Association. “As with any new system, there is a learning curve for the software providers and for the doctors who use these systems. EHRevent will help us all get smarter about EHRs and assure that patient care advances are also patient-safe advances.”

David Troxel, MD, medical director for professional liability carrier The Doctors Company, says, “EHRs can play a major role in advancing the practice of good medicine, but there are often unanticipated consequences when new technologies are deployed, and it is important to collect and disseminate EHR user experience as these powerful systems are adopted.”

Alan Lembitz, MD, vice president of Patient Safety and Risk Management for COPIC Insurance Company, adds, “Our experience indicates that EHRs have the capacity either to induce or to reduce medical errors in very unique ways, and we have seen data that indicate that EHR adoption may reduce physician liability. It will be increasingly important to understand best practices to improve patient safety for EHRs and for their users, and EHRevent will help both.”