To Drive Value, EHRs Need to Actually be Usable

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have historically served multiple purposes, but they often neglected the needs of clinicians, leading to reduced productivity and strained patient-physician relationships. This lack of usability results in excessive data entry, complicating workflows and diminishing the valuable time clinicians should spend with patients. However, in 2023, there's an opportunity to make EHRs truly user-centric and customizable, providing an efficient, personalized hub of information for various healthcare professionals, from physicians to billers. Achieving EHR usability requires a streamlined and customizable user interface, simplified user experiences, and voice-driven interactions. It should empower clinicians and staff while optimizing patient-centric workflows and supporting value-based care through a compliance dashboard. EHRs should have been designed to serve the needs of all users from the start, focusing on driving better outcomes, value, and performance for everyone.