Dr. Joseph Hales
Dr. Joseph Hales, Associate Professor at the University of Utah, Department of Biomedical Informatics (BMI), and his staff at Primary Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) was involved in the electronic health record project, as was Dr. Christopher Maloney, a graduate of BMI and faculty member of the Department of Pediatrics (and adjunct to BMI). Several of those working on the project were either students or graduates of the BMI program. Dr. Hales is the PI for the subcontract to perform an environmental scan and gap analysis.
A new database developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality with support from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services can help software developers create better Electronic Health Records (EHRs) for the care of children. The children’s EHR format establishes a blueprint for EHRs to better meet the needs of health care providers and pediatric patients by combining best-practices in clinical care, information technology, and insights from experts in children’s health. Since few EHRs have been created with children’s needs in mind, gaps in functionality, data elements and other areas tend to occur. The format guides EHR developers in understanding the requirements for functionality, data standards, usability and interoperability of an EHR system to more optimally support the provision of health care to children – especially those enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The format is readily accessible and adoptable by EHR developers for use during product development or enhancement.
In addition to providing guidance to developers, the format can provide guidance for EHR system purchasers and policy makers. For example, policy makers and purchasers can use the requirements when assessing functionality of EHRs. For more information or to access the format, select: http://healthit.ahrq.gov/childehrFormat.