6 Things EHRs Should Be Thankful For

Tis’ the season for being thankful for the friends, family and bounty we have in our lives. It is a time to celebrate the end of the season with copious amounts of food and reflect upon the good things that have happened in our lives this year.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought it would be fun to give voice to what an EHR would be thankful for this year. So if I put my mind into that of an EHR here are the top 6 things I’d be thankful for.

1. Meaningful Use. Thank you for five great years. It was only through the infusion of $35B that thousands of my brethren were adopted/implemented across the United States. Without MU, we EHRs would not have proliferated to the degree that we have. #forevergrateful
2. Doctors. Absolute thankful for all the doctors who use us everyday. We love how much time and attention you are giving us in 2016. It’s almost embarrassing how you stare at our screens and don’t get distracted by the other people in the exam room with you (I think you call them patients…and I think I have a field for that). We look forward to more of the same next year. Thank you!
3. Nurses. Thank you to all the nurses out there. Your constant clicking on our drop-down boxes and check boxes are like a daily “tickle”. We hope you aren’t too mad at us for making it difficult to get the information you want. It’s only because we want to spend more time with you. #love
4. EHR Consultants. I am grateful this year for the army of EHR consultants that are out there. Without you, we EHRs would have been relegated to the scrap heap long ago. Thank you for working hard to optimize us, customizing us to better suit user needs and to teaching people how to use us effectively. We owe our longevity to you.
5. Health IT Media. Thank you to the Health IT media for keeping the spotlight on EHRs in 2016 – despite it being the last year of the Meaningful Use program. Whether you like us or not, we EHRs have become the backbone of healthcare and there are a lot of things that can be improved – but only if people stay focused on their EHR journeys. Installation was just the first step. So all you columnists, writers, bloggers and Tweeters out there, please keep EHRs on the radar.
6. EHR Vendors. I shudder to think of where we would be without our creators in 2016. It was exciting to watch you build “partner ecosystems” around us. These add-ons really helped to unlock the usefulness of the data we’ve been keeping safe. I know we wanted to work on something called “usability” but I’m sure we’ll get to it next year.

Happy Thanksgiving!