Resources
(The following links lead outside of the APA's site and do not constitute an endorsement.)
EHR Educational Materials and Tools
American Academy of Family Physicians: Center for Health Information Technology
Comprehensive site contains news items and free tutorials on EHRs, hardware, networking, and implementation. (Some resources on the site, such as EHR software reviews, are for members only).
American Academy of Neurology: EHR Resources
Includes a power point series on EHRs (return on investment, contracting, and functionality), and various articles and publications.
American Academy of Ophthalmic Executives: Information Technology
Many materials are for members only, but contains a guide on selecting software and hardware.
American Academy of Pediatrics: Council on Clinical Information Technology
Site includes EHR software reviews, government/regulatory information, and upcoming HIT events.
American College of Cardiology: Health Care Technology
Site includes EHR toolkit and information on e-prescribing.
American College of Physicians: Medical Computing
Contains information on current HIT topics and conferences. The ACP site also includes an EHR Adoption Road Map and Tools (much of the material is for members only).
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) National Resource Center: Health Information Technology
Contains HIT tools, information on funding opportunties, and information on federally funded projects
American Hospital Assocation: Health Information Technology
Contains news and resources on HIT topics affecting hospitals.
American Medical Association: Health Information Technology
Information on the practice management aspects of HIT.
American Osteopathic Academy of Medical Informatics
Organization focusing on health information technology in Osteopathy.
Royal College of Psychiatrists Mental Health Informatics Special Interest Group
Contains a document library with relevant articles and information on a UK-based Mental Health Informatics discussion forum.
American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) "Got EHR?" Initiative
Initiative to promote EHR use for patient safety. Includes journal and news articles.
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) EHR Page
Contains numerous EHR articles and resources.
Evaluating EHR Vendors
AAFP: Develop an EHR Evaluation Matrix
AMA: 15 questions to ask before signing an electronic medical record or electronic health record agreement
eHealth Initiative EHR Master Quotation Guide
EHR Selection Tools and Resources
Electronic Health Records: A Buyer’s Guide for Small Physician Practices
Electronic Medical Record Implementation Guide (Texas Medical Association)
Planning Your EHR System: Guidelines for Executive Management
Sample Questions to Ask Vendors
(Compiled by the APA Corresponding Commitee on EHR)
Software Listings and Reviews
Software List compiled by APA Staff
List of EHR and practice management software vendors (with links)
AC Group
Consulting site (includes report evaluating select software vendors)
Electronic Health Record Vendors Association (EHRVA)
Trade association of EHR vendors. Membership list includes links to vendors.
EMR Consultant
Consulting site (includes list of EHR products)
EMRUpdate
Forum for physicians to discuss EHR issues and products
Open Source Medical Projects
Listing of Open Source software (American Academy of Family Physicians)
Physicians EHR
Consulting site
Software and Technology Vendors' Association (SATVA)
Trade organization of Behavioral Health software vendors. Site includes links to vendors, a white paper on selecting an EHR for behavioral healthcare organization executives, and other educational information.
Health Information Technology Organizations
American Association for Technology in Psychiatry (AATP)
Membership organization dedicated to the development and use of IT to improve the quality and availability of psychiatric and mental health care. Site includes a weblog and a listing of relevant links. Holds its annual meeting in association with the APA annual meeting.
American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
Membership Organization for health information management professionals. Site contains health information management resources and hosts a free Personal Health Record.
American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)
Membership organization focused on various areas of medical informatics. Site contains information on meetings, Informatics news, and AMIA initiatives.
eHealth Initiative
Non-profit organization whose mission is to drive improvement in quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare through HIT.
Government Health IT
Contains materials on Government and HIT, including news and resources on policy, technology, financing, and technical standards.
Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Membership organization promoting optimal use of HIT and management systems. Site contains resources organized around numerous topics (such as Electronic Health Records and E-Prescribing), a guide on handheld devices, an EHR selection tool for physician practices ($ required), and information on HIT news, conferences, and publications.
International Society for Mental Health Online (ISMHO)
Non-profit society whose mission is to promote the understanding, use, and development of online communication, information and technology for the international mental health community. Site contains white papers, relevant news articles, and resources.
Physicians' Electronic Health Record Coalition (PEHRC)
Coalition of Physicians' organizations with the mission to assist physicians, particularly those in small- and medium-sized practices, to acquire and use EHRs. APA is a member of this group and representatives attend bimonthly meetings.
Electronic Prescribing (eRx)
"A Clinician’s Guide to Electronic Prescribing”
A comprehensive, multi-stakeholder-informed “how-to” guide to help clinicians make informed decisions about how and when to transition from paper to electronic prescribing systems.
CMS Website on E-Prescribing
Information on e-prescribing and incentive initiatives
GetRxConnected
Information on eRx and selecting eRx technology for your practice
AMA ePrescribing Learning Center
Background information, financial calculators, informaiton on initiatives and incentives, information on implementation
Surescripts Get Connected
Background information, list of software, information on implementation
eHealth Initiative: Financial and Other Support for Adopting and Using E-Prescribing
Information on incentives for electronic prescribing, summary of national and state programs
Publications and Articles
"Connections"
Psychiatric News Health Information Technology column by Dr. John Luo
"E-Prescribing Seems Inevitable But Reception Is Mixed"
Psychiatric News Psychiatric News article (April 21, 2006) on e-prescribing
"EHR Implementation: a step-by-step guide for the medical practice"
Book published by the AMA with resources for selecting, purchasing, and implementing an EHR.
"Electronic Health Records: Can Promise Be Fulfilled?"
Psychiatric News article (September 16, 2005) on the current state of the EHR movement
iHealthBeat
A daily news digest reporting on the Internet's impact on health care
"Top Five Healthcare IT Stories of 2005"
Lists 5 significant HIT developments from 2005
HIT Definitions
Health Information Technology terminology evolves as rapidly as the movement itself. Below are the links to some glossaries.
Office of the National Coordination for Health Information Technology (HHS)
American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
EMR Consultant
APA Generated Materials
EHR Scenario
Scenario generated by the APA Corresponding Committee on EHR distributed to EHR vendors exhibiting at the 2007 APA Annual Meeting in San Diego for use in demonstrations.
Have other resources to recommend? Please let us know at qips@psych.org.