SAFER Guides

Due to the Rapid Adoption of EHR technology new pitfalls emerge such as:

• Design Flaws
• Complex Templates (using EHRs in a non-standard way)
• Careless Provider Usage
• Copy and Pasting Text
• Password Sharing
• Ignoring Clinical Decision Support Alerts
• User documentation errors
• Lack of Patient Interaction due to use of EHR Technology
• EPHI Security Breaches
• Increase in Forensic Medical Record Audits

All these factors can fuel EHR-related lawsuits and contribute to challenges defending claims. Every aspect of EHR selection, implementation and usage can fall under scrutiny in the defense of a malpractice claim.

Awareness of the potential EHR legal dangers and taking steps to prevent them can save patients lives, clinicians time, expense, and their reputation.

Under HIPAA, the healthcare provider is the covered entity responsible for maintaining the integrity of the patient’s medical record, not the EHR vendors, not the consultant, and not the system integrator. Practices must understand what they are using and verify that the system is appropriately set up to document the care they provide.

The MPL market acknowledges the electronic health record documentation issues are becoming a major emerging issue.

CRICO data analysis from 2013 claims listed EHR as a contributing factor for 147 claims, leading to over $61 M in direct payments and legal expenses.

Allow our industry experts at EHR & Practice Management Consultants, Inc. safeguard their practices, clinic and hospitals from liability.

New Safety EHR Guides from the ONC

Released by the Office the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology for EHR Safety

Series of 9 Evidence-Based Guidance Documents used to assess a practice to promote safer use of electronic health records and other health information technologies with their patients.  

SAFER Guides are broken into 3 areas:

·      Foundational SAFER Guides

o   High Priority Practices SAFER Guides

o   Organizational Responsibilities SAFER Guides

·      Clinical Process SAFER Guides

o   Patient Identification SAFER Guides

o   Computerized Physician Order Entry with Decision Support SAFER Guides

o   Test Results Review and Follow Up SAFER Guides

o   Clinical Communication SAFER Guides

·      Infrastructure SAFER Guides

o   Contingency Plan SAFER Guides

o   System Interfaces SAFER Guides

o   System Configuration SAFER Guides

For more information on SAFER Guides or would like assistance from one of our consultants to perform a SAFER Guide Assessment and Mitigation Plan for your practice, please contact us at contact@ehrpmc.com or call 800-376-0212 ext. 1