The iHealth Alliance has announced a new electronic health record (EHR) safety reporting system. The iHealth Alliance is a non profit organization, based in Washington, D.C., composed of medical society and professional liability carrier executives in collaboration with federal agencies and PDR Network. EHRevent.org develops a national system where physicians and other healthcare providers can report issues regarding the implementation and use of EHRs.

Overcoming the challenges of EHR implementation.

Using a standardized online format, EHRevent will gather reports from doctors and other healthcare givers who use EHRs and create reports that medical societies, professional liability carriers and government agencies, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will use to help educate providers on the potential challenges that EHR systems may bring. The system will be available directly via the Internet and also integrated into the web sites of participating liability carriers, medical societies, PDR Network and other partners, including EHR system vendors. EHRevent was created after other national reporting systems, including the system used in the aviation industry, and its reports include issues related to software problems, inappropriate user training, security breaches and near-misses. Reports will be totally confidential but utilized to better understand challenges associated with the implementation of EHRs and to improve patient outcomes.