There is no shortage of complaints about the usability of Electronic Health Record systems (EHRs). More and more evidence is emerging regarding the lack of EHR usability. Speaking at the 2013 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Conference & Exhibition, Michael S. Barr, MD, MBA, FACP, of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) warned that:

“Satisfaction and usability ratings for certified electronic health records (EHRs) have decreased since 2010 among clinicians across a range of indicators.”

CVS Health and IBM announced they are partnering to bring IBM's Watson technology to CVS Health pharmacists and practitioners in an effort to improve health care management for patients with chronic diseases, USA Today reports. 

Usability improvements that could enhance patient safety are occurring in electronic health record systems, but not at an acceptable pace and not necessarily for the expected reasons or even the right ones, some industry gurus and researchers report.

Achieving the Promise of Health Information Technology: What Can Providers and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Do To Improve the Electronic Health Record User Experience?

Watch the live stream at http://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/achieving-the-promise-of-health-info...

SENATE HEARING LINEUP:

The care coordination software market is expected to grow at a 26.1% compound annual growth rate between 2015 and 2020, according to a report from Frost & Sullivan, FierceHealthIT reports (Hall, FierceHealthIT, 5/13).

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT published nearly 250 comments that it received on its draft nationwide interoperability roadmap, Politico's "Morning eHealth" reports (Pittman, "Morning eHealth," Politico, 5/18).

The FDA issued guidance to help health care facilities protect against security vulnerabilities found in two computerized drug infusion pumps manufactured by Hospira, AHA News reports (AHA News, 5/14).

The ONC Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL) was recently updated to version 4.0. The new release includes a completely refined user interface. You will find improved search functions, better filtering options and new product selection processes. The new site can be accessed via http://healthit.gov/chpl.

Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) introduced a bill (HR 2247) that would require a transition period following the implementation of new ICD-10 code sets, EHR Intelligence reports.

Four Health IT Policy Committee work groups shared feedback on CMS' proposed rule for Stage 3 of the meaningful use program,

National Coordinator for Health IT Karen DeSalvo told senators that health IT is "foundational" to President Obama's Precision Medicine initiative and discussed ways to improve data sharing,

The increased adoption of electronic health records and other health IT has improved patient safety, according to an issue brief by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, Health IT Analytics reports (Bresnick, Health IT Analytics, 4/28).

Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) re-introduced a bill (S 1101) that would exempt certain medical software and mobile applications from FDA regulation, Health Data Management reports.

While the recent push to adopt health IT systems has helped to improve care and reduce costs, issues with usability and interoperability require further federal attention, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, FierceHealthIT rep

CHICAGO -- On the final day of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's annual conference, National Coordinator for Health IT Karen DeSalvo and acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt took the stage to detail federal efforts to leverage health IT.

Some health IT vendors and health care providers are intentionally blocking the sharing of patient information, impeding progress toward a national data sharing goal, according to a report by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, the Wall Street Journal reports.

User Experience, usability, and user-centered design principles were on the forefront of conversations around the topic of clinician/patient satisfaction, safety-enhanced design, and value optimization. Here are a few highlights of the programming and events taking place at HIMSS15 related to the topic of health IT UX.

In late February, Thomas Mason took over as CMO at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. In his new role, Mason oversees ONC programs and clinical coordination within the agency.

Health IT and interoperability will play key roles in an initiative launched this week to promote the adoption of alternative health care payment modes, FierceHealthIT reports (Bowman, FierceHealthIT, 3/25).

Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) reintroduced legislation that calls for the development of an integrated electronic health record system for members of the military and veterans, Politico's "Morning eHealth" reports (Allen et al., "Morning eHealth," Politico, 3/25).