Guides
Switching EHR Vendors: How to Plan the Move
A practical guide to changing EHR vendors: reading your exit clause, what data you can actually take, migrate-vs-archive decisions, and a realistic timeline.
U.S. electronic health records
Electronic health records, explained for U.S. practices
Selection guides, regulatory context, and practical advice tailored to the realities of running a practice in the United States.
Guides
Foundational explainers on what EHRs are, how they work, and the features that matter.
Guides
What Is an EHR and How Does It Work?
A plain-language explanation of electronic health records: what an EHR is, how it differs from an EMR, and how the system supports clinical care.
Guides
Certified EHR Technology Explained
What Certified EHR Technology (CEHRT) means, how the ONC Health IT Certification Program works, and why certification matters for practices.
Guides
The Patient Portal and 21st Century Cures
How the 21st Century Cures Act and the information blocking rule expanded patient access to electronic health information through portals and apps.
Guides
EHR and Clinical Quality Measures
What clinical quality measures (CQMs) are, how EHRs calculate and report them, and how they connect to federal quality programs like MIPS.
Guides
EHR Data Backup and Business Continuity
Why EHR backup and contingency planning matter, what the HIPAA Security Rule expects, and how to keep your practice running during downtime.
Regulation & Incentives
Plain-language context on the federal rules and programs that shape EHR use in the U.S.
Regulation & Incentives
The Proposed HIPAA Security Rule Update: What Practices Should Know
HHS proposed updating the HIPAA Security Rule in December 2024. It is not final. Here is where it stands, what would change, and how to prepare sensibly.
Regulation & Incentives
Meaningful Use to Promoting Interoperability: A History
How federal EHR incentives evolved from Meaningful Use under HITECH to today's Promoting Interoperability program within MIPS.
Regulation & Incentives
MIPS and the EHR
How the Merit-based Incentive Payment System uses your EHR across its performance categories, and what practices need from certified technology.
Regulation & Incentives
The Information Blocking Rule for Practices
A practice-focused explanation of the information blocking rule: who it applies to, what counts as interference, and the exceptions that may apply.
Regulation & Incentives
HIPAA Basics for EHR Users
A practical HIPAA primer for everyone who works in an EHR: the Privacy and Security Rules, PHI, minimum necessary, and everyday safeguards.
Regulation & Incentives
Breach Notification and Your EHR
What the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule requires when ePHI is compromised, how EHR audit logs help, and the steps practices must take.
Selection
A practical, vendor-neutral approach to shortlisting, evaluating, and buying EHR software.
Selection
How to Shortlist EHR Vendors
A vendor-neutral process for narrowing the EHR market to a manageable shortlist based on requirements, fit, and credible evidence.
Selection
Questions to Ask in an EHR Sales Demo
Cut through the sales pitch with specific, scenario-based questions that reveal how an EHR will really perform in your practice.
Selection
Total Cost of Ownership for EHR Software
Look beyond the monthly subscription: the full cost of EHR ownership includes implementation, training, integrations, and ongoing fees.
Selection
Cloud-Based EHR Considerations
What to weigh when choosing a cloud (SaaS) EHR: data security, BAAs, uptime, internet dependence, and vendor responsibilities.
Selection
Reading EHR Reviews Critically
How to read EHR reviews and rankings without being misled by bias, sponsored placements, and unrepresentative samples.
Practice Types
How EHR needs differ across specialties and care settings.
Practice Types
EHR for Primary Care
What primary care practices should look for in an EHR: chronic care management, preventive reminders, quality reporting, and care coordination.
Practice Types
EHR for Behavioral Health
Special EHR considerations for behavioral health: sensitive records, 42 CFR Part 2, treatment planning, and group and telehealth workflows.
Practice Types
EHR for Pediatrics
Pediatric EHR essentials: growth charts, weight-based dosing, immunization tracking, registry connections, and family and consent workflows.
Practice Types
EHR for Multi-Specialty Groups
EHR considerations for multi-specialty groups: specialty content, configurable workflows, shared records, scalability, and governance.
Practice Types
EHR for Federally Qualified Health Centers
EHR considerations for FQHCs: UDS reporting, sliding-fee scales, enabling services, care for diverse populations, and HRSA program requirements.