AMIA released the results of a task force report on Electronic Health Records (EHR).  The “Report of the AMIA EHR 2020 Task Force on the Status and Future Direction of EHRs” was released in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) jamia.org  and represents an evolutionary approach in the management of patient medical data.  EHRs allow health-care providers and clinicians to record patient information electronically instead of using paper records.

The EHR-2020 Task Force is comprised of a distinguished group of 15 experts. The findings are being presented publicly today at the AMIA iHealth 2015 Clinical Informatics Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. The report recommends changes that will support patient engagement, improve provider workflow, support innovation, and set the stage for future improvements that will improve patient’s health and healthcare.

AMIA is at the forefront of using EHRs and information technology to enhance medical care and advance the functionality of EHRs.  The EHR-2020 Task Force report represents practical solutions to the concerns members have about the challenges of EHR adoption. AMIA worked with many groups, government agencies and professional organizations to determine methods to solve EHR challenges that providers encounter, and to further create a sustainable framework for innovation in EHRs.

“Health information technology is a key part of enhancing health and health care, and empowering patients to be first-order participants in their care.  As part of this report, we listened to our members who work closely with EHRs to understand the current challenges. We think these recommendations will improve the value that EHRs will provide to patients, and set the stage for more significant benefit in the future“, said Douglas B. Fridsma, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, AMIA.

Security and confidentiality are at the heart of EHR planning since its inception and AMIA is acutely aware of the concerns of the general public as well as the medical community.  As the professional home of health informatics professionals, AMIA’s members —multidisciplinary and interprofessional—address many of the EHR problems from a wide range of perspectives:  as informaticians, clinicians, scientists, vendors, innovation and implementation scientists, change agents, and people who cross all these boundaries.

“While we recognize that there are challenges with implementing and using EHR technology, this report is aimed at practical solutions that we believe will improve health and health care for patients and their caregivers. We are hopeful that it will generate the thoughtful conversations and innovations that will make what is possible, real for all patients,” said Thomas Payne, MD, Chair, AMIA EHR 2020 Task Force. Dr. Payne is the Medical Director, IT Services, University of Washington (UW) Medicine and Associate Director, UW Medicine Center for Scholarship in Patient Care Quality and Safety.

There is an urgency to act on behalf of patients and the individuals who care for them. AMIA will continue to work with policy makers on their critical role in moving our nation toward better use of EHRs to better serve medical providers and the general public.