The utilization of electronic health records can help transform your practice and improve patient outcomes. This collection of AMA STEPS Forward® Practice Innovation Strategies offers proven approaches on how to maximize the benefits of electronic health record (EHR) use, strategies and tactics to successfully implement an EHR and best practices in software selection.
Taming the EHR Playbook
This playbook walks physicians and care team members through a series of practical, actionable steps to help minimize the burdens and maximize the benefits of the electronic health record.
"Physicians don’t quit their jobs, their patients, or their bosses; they quit their inboxes."— CT Lin, MD, FACP, FAMIA
Learn more or get the playbook (PDF).
Toolkits
Identify leadership, system and individual strategies to optimize EHR use in your practice. These toolkits present strategies that health care delivery organizations can deploy to maximize EHR improvement.
- Electronic Health Record Optimization
- Getting Rid of Stupid Stuff
- EHR Inbox Management
- Electronic Health Record (EHR) Implementation
- Sharing Clinical Notes With Patients
- Electronic Health Record (EHR) Software Selection and Purchase
- Patient Portal Optimization
Webinars
The utilization of EHRs can help transform your practice and improve patient outcomes. Learn more from expert-led webinars on improving EHR usability.
EHR Information & Resources
Podcast
- Electronic Health Record Optimization (Apple Podcasts | Spotify)
- Improve Practice Efficiency with EHR Quick Wins (Apple Podcasts | Spotify)
- Taming the EHR (Apple Podcasts | Spotify)
Discussions
While EHRs have clear benefits, there are still usability and safety challenges that need to be addressed. Read the Physician Innovation Network conversation to learn more about this issue: EHR Usability & Safety–What needs to change?
Resources
Physician cybersecurity
Viruses, malware and hackers pose a threat to patients and physician practices. The AMA has curated resources and has tips for physicians and health care staff to protect patient health records and other data from cyberattacks.
Access the AMA's physician cybersecurity news and resources.
Research
This collection of EHR research focuses on core measures of EHR use, physician burnout and EHR and practice efficiency.
- The association between physician perceived electronic health record usability and professional burnout among U.S. physicians (Mayo Clinic Proceedings)
- Tethered to the EHR: Primary Care Physician Workload Assessment Using EHR Event (Annals of Family Medicine)
- Metrics for Assessing Physician Activity Using EHR Log Data (JAMIA)
- Association of perceived electronic health record usability with patient interactions and work-life integration among US physicians (JAMA Network Open)
