EMR Innovation and Regulation

Every day, online retailers guide us through various step-by-step processes—whether it’s buying a pair of jeans, applying for a MasterCard, or booking a flight—using digital transactions. These electronic paths ensure that we rarely make mistakes; if we miss an essential piece of information or choose incorrectly, the system won’t let us continue until we correct it. In systems engineering terms, this process is referred to as “mistake-proofing.” In the rare case that we encounter a complex or unfamiliar transaction, we might end up calling for help from a knowledgeable expert. This concept of mistake-proofing translates well to electronic medical records (EMR), which can lead us towards safer, higher-quality, and more affordable healthcare.

EMRs enhance patient safety by using computer-based physician orders that eliminate issues caused by unreadable handwriting and misunderstood verbal instructions. Features like checkboxes ensure only the correct medication doses are available, reducing the risk of overdoses. Nurses now verify that the right patient receives the appropriate treatment by matching a code on the patient’s wristband with the medication label; these crucial safety features are seamlessly integrated into everyday practices via the EMR. Furthermore, the EMR acts as a foundation for innovation and creativity, as it provides structured prompts to both standardize and enhance patient care.

From our experience, three fundamental factors stand out. First, it is essential to establish best-practice standards that minimize unnecessary variation in managing medical conditions. Healthcare groups implement these measures with a shared commitment to quality, and medical science societies play a role, even though they lack the authority to enforce standards. They can, however, help foster alignment on broadly accepted recommendations across U.S. medical practices. For example, the Choosing Wisely initiative, launched in 2012 by the American Board of Medicine in collaboration with Consumer Reports, involves 70 professional societies offering recommendations intended to engage providers and patients in meaningful discussions to avoid unnecessary treatments.

Second, it’s crucial for medical centers and vendors to collaborate in integrating more protocols into EMRs that aid physicians in making straightforward decisions. A focal point should be the development of “hard stop” tools—mechanisms that prevent unsafe or inappropriate care (like ordering unnecessary imaging tests). While some of these EMR applications are in initial stages of development, one significant challenge is the cost associated with dedicating clinical and technical staff to implement and maintain these projects. As medical centers face increasing financial pressures, the expense can hinder the custom development of such tools.

Providers who fully utilize the capabilities of the EMR stand to benefit from increased market share and reduced costs. Most importantly, it enables doctors to leverage the powerful protection of digital mistake-proofing along with their expertise in providing care to their patients.