In June of this year, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), a nonprofit, cause-based organization that focuses on promoting information technology to support major functions in the healthcare industry, and the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Association, which represents a community of software developers of EHRs and related modules, released a code of conduct for EHR developers.
HIMSS is the parent of the EHR Association, which operates as an independent organizational unit within HIMSS. Together, they aim to accelerate health IT (HIT) and EHR adoption that meets key provisions of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. This is legislation sets health IT rules and regulations, providing guidance to the health care industry on the use of EHRs in hospitals and ambulatory care settings.
Basically, this is a collaborative effort of more than 40 EHR companies, representing real progress toward realizing the full benefits of health IT while improving the productivity and sustainability of the healthcare system, explained Michele McGlynn, a member of the EHR Association Executive Committee.
The unveiling of the EHR Developer Code of Conduct is seen as a landmark move, as pointed out by Bernie Monegain, an editor of Healthcare IT News. The goal of the code, McGlynn said, is to promote and uphold standards of practices that reflect ongoing commitment to support safe healthcare delivery and work in partnership with all stakeholders and trusted partners in the transformation of health IT.
The Association developed the code as an important milestone in the maturation of the healthcare information technology industry. It became available on June 11th, and it's now up to individual companies to adopt it, remarked the HIMSS EHR Association.On September 10, ABEL Medical Software Inc., a vendor that offers a full range of solutions for healthcare providers, officially adopted the EHR Developer Code of Conduct. The company said, it is committed to applying the code’s principles for the greater benefit of healthcare providers and the consumers it serves.
According to Arun Rele, president and founder of ABEL Medical Software Inc., the Code was endorsed to help them deliver smarter care. He added that this is an “important step to codify an industry-wide commitment to safety, innovation and integrity.”
Such an opportunity to understand clients’ needs and to exploit emerging technology fosters continued healthcare innovation. Providing software solutions, services and products to healthcare professionals enables them to provide better care, faster.
Rele concluded by saying the criteria in the Code, ultimately, helps to meet the clinical and practice management needs of physicians.
Edited by
Blaise McNamee
