Friday, July 22, 2011

AAO committee sets bar for EHR use in ophthalmology

The American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Medical Information Technology Committee is spearheading efforts to make electronic health records more useful and effective for ophthalmology practices, according to a news release from the AAO.

“Our recommendations define what will make a system work efficiently within the unique workflow and data management needs of an ophthalmology practice,” Michael F. Chiang, MD, chairman of the committee, said in the release. “The Academy is also urging the adoption of common data standards in order to optimize the delivery of time-critical patient information and enable physicians to provide the very best in patient care.”

Dr. Chiang and fellow committee members recommended key functions in a report scheduled for publication in the August issue of Ophthalmology. The report lists essential and desirable features in clinical documentation, ophthalmic vital signs and laboratory studies, medical and surgical management, and ophthalmic measurement and imaging devices.

The group’s recommendations address how EHRs should support documentation and transitions between office and operating room; capture, track and display ocular vital signs such as visual acuity; and incorporate hand-drawn sketches or handwritten notes into electronic records, the release said.

The committee is also developing standards for EHRs to comply with meaningful use criteria set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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