Ophthalmologists Eye EHRs

Electronic health record systems designed for primary-care physicians and other generalists won't work well for ophthalmologists unless they include features tailored to the specialty, the American Academy of Ophthalmology says.

For one thing, electronic health records must incorporate hand-drawn sketches and annotations, ophthalmologists told EHR vendors last month. The academy says EHRs for ophthalmology practices also should:

    * Capture, track and display "vital signs of the eye," such as visual acuity.

    * Allow documentation in and transitions between the office and surgical suite.

    * Support data from ophthalmologic measuring and imaging devices.

Those recommendations were made in a webinar for EHR vendors led by Flora Lum, deputy director of the H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr. Center for Quality Eye Care in San Francisco, according to an academy news release and an article in Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Review.

A more detailed list of EHR requirements is included in a paper, "Special Requirements for Electronic Health Records for Ophthalmology," published in this month's issue of the journal Ophthalmology (subscription required). The guidelines are intended to help ophthalmologists identify important features to look for when selecting EHR systems, the academy says.

In the paper, Dr. Michael F. Chiang listed 17 "essential" and six "desirable" features for EHRs in the above areas as well as laboratory studies, medical management and surgical management. Chiang, an assistant professor of ophthalmology and biomedical informatics at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, chairs the academy's Medical Information Technology Committee.