Providers commit to electronic health records

The Obama administration announced Monday that hospitals are ready to commit to electronic health records (EHR).

In a statement posted online, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said that the top five largest private health care systems in the country had pledged to work toward certain goals in adopting EHRs.

The first goal related to consumer access, specifically, making consumers’ medical information accessible electronically and on-demand.

Second, providers pledged not to block other providers from accessing important patient medical information. Instead, the department is emphasizing that the increased sharing information, so long as patients’ privacy is protected, is an important component of making health care more efficient.

Providers also committed to implement EHRs in accordance with federal interoperability standards.

The administration claims that companies providing over 90 percent of the EHR systems in the U.S. similarly vowed to work with providers to achieve the goals mentioned.