Electronic Health Record Association Recognizes Industry Leaders For Adoption Of EHR Developer Code Of Conduct

At its all-member meeting on April 12 at HIMSS15 in Chicago, IL, the EHR Association recognized six health IT companies that have adopted the EHR Developer Code of Conduct. The first 16 companies that adopted the Code were recognized at HIMSS14 in Orlando, FL. The Code, a transparent set of industry principles that reflect a commitment to safe healthcare delivery, continued innovation, and high integrity,was developed by the Association and introduced in June 2013.

The six companies that have recently announced their adoption of the Code are Abel Medical Software, Inc., EndoSoft, InterfaceMD, McKesson, Viztek, and Wellsoft. Mickey McGlynn (Cerner), EHRA chairperson emeritus, congratulated the recipients and added, “You join the ranks of industry-leading health IT companies by demonstrating your ongoing commitment to operate with high integrity as trusted partners with your provider customers.”

The EHR Association also met with key stakeholder groups during HIMSS15 to continue the dialogue started during the development of the Code. Representatives from two companies that have adopted the Code, Greenway Health and McKesson, were part of that meeting and shared experiences from within their organizations and with their customers relative to the implementation of the EHR Developer Code of Conduct. Stakeholder attendees included representatives from the American Medical Association (AMA), the College of Health Information Management Executives (CHIME), the American College of Physicians (ACP), the American Osteopathic Association (AOA, representing the Physicians’ Electronic Health Record Coalition, PEHRC), the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), and others. McGlynn went on to say, “We appreciate the ongoing dialogue with these important organizations, and look forward to working with them as we continue to encourage EHR developers to adopt the Code.”

The 16 companies that implemented the Code in 2013 include Allscripts, athenahealth, Cerner, CPSI, Epic, Foothold Technology, GE Healthcare, Greenway Medical, MacPractice, MEDHOST, MEDITECH, Modernizing Medicine, NextGen Healthcare, Practice Fusion, SRSsoft, and Versasuite, bringing the total number of EHR companies that have adopted the Code to 22.

The Code of Conduct covers general business practices, patient safety, interoperability and data portability, clinical and billing documentation, privacy and security, and patient engagement. The Association developed the Code as part of its ongoing commitment to collaborate as trusted industry partners on these important topics. It was cited favorably in ONC’s July 2013 Health Information Technology Patient Safety Action & Surveillance Plan, and has been referenced frequently in Health IT Policy Committee meetings on topics ranging from patient safety and usability to certification.

The Association will continue to encourage adoption of the EHR Developer Code of Conduct to all companies that develop EHRs, regardless of whether they are members. An educational webcast was held in March and was attended by more than 60 individuals representing 27 companies. Information on the Code and upcoming events can be obtained by contacting Angie Gorden at http://ehra.org/ASP/codeofconduct.asp.

About The EHR Association
Established in 2004, the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Association is comprised of almost 40 companies that supply the vast majority of operational EHRs to physicians’ practices and hospitals across the United States in addition to other forms of health IT designed to support the nation’s delivery system reform initiatives. The EHR Association operates on the premise that the rapid, widespread adoption of health IT will help improve the quality of patient care as well as the productivity and sustainability of the healthcare system as a key enabler of healthcare transformation. The EHR Association and its members are committed to supporting safe healthcare delivery, fostering continued innovation, and operating with high integrity in the market for our users and their patients and families.

The EHR Association is a partner of HIMSS. For more information, visit http://www.EHRA.org.