Technology Resources

While some family physicians have already adopted electronic health records systems in their offices, many others have found various technology tools have improved their practice.

Electronic Health Records
Patient Registry Systems
Technology Tools & Information

Electronic Health Records

A 2005 Health Affairs article "Can Electronic Medical Record Systems Transform Health Care? Potential Health Benefits, Savings, and Costs."

The Medical Records Institute provides a range of resources, including hosting the annual Towards the Electronic Patient Record conference.  

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology is a certification body for electronic health records and their networks, and provides a list of products that meet their criteria.

The Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society provides a range of resources on EHRs, including bar coding, e-prescribing, patient safety and quality/outcomes, and clinical decision support.

OpenEHR focuses on developing open specifications, open-source software, and knowledge resources as well as engaging in clinical implementation projects.

VistA-Office EHR is based on the VistA hospital information system first developed by the federal government. Download of the software is free, however funds are required for implementation.

The Physicians' EHR Coalition provides a forum for physicians to discuss issues related to EHR purchase, implementation, and policy.

Patient Registry Systems

2006 Family Practice Management article: "Using a Simple Patient Registry to Improve Your Chronic Disease Care."

The California Health Care Foundation has made available "Using Computerized Registries in Chronic Disease Care."

The September 2005 edition of American College of Physicians Observer offers this article: "Patient Registries: A Key Step to Quality Improvement."

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement has information on both electronic and paper registry systems.

The Chronic Disease Electronic Management System, or CDEMS, is a free electronic registry tool.

Technology Tools & Information

AAFP's Center for Health Information Technology - CHIT offers a range of resources for family physicians including an EHR assessment, product reviews, information on AAFP member discounts, tutorials, and other resources.

Through work on their DOQ-IT program, Lumetra has developed a range of tools for physician offices, including an overview of e-Prescribing, EHR readiness assessment, and telehealth.

The California Health Care Foundation offers reports on application software providers, clinical data standards and quality improvement, and ELINCS, a nationally recognized standard for the electronic exchange of of laboratory results.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has a national resource center for Health Information Technology.  It includes information on ambulatory EHR time and motion tools, computerized provider order entry systems, e-prescribing, and more.

Clinical Information Technology Gaps Persist Among Physicians is a recent issue brief by the Center for Studying Health Systems Change. The center also has a variety of other articles addressing technology issues.