Robert Schumacher to Discuss the State of Usability in Procurement of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) at TEPR

Recent research directed toward understanding the slow adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) has shown that poor usability is listed among the top barriers to implementation. Other frequently cited reasons for lack of adoption – security, privacy, and systems integration – are outranked by concerns over system usability and productivity concerns.  Usability is also a factor in why EHR implementations fail.   Simply put, medical professionals find many EHRs hard to use. User Centric's research on the EHR procurement process shows that usability is rarely considered during EHR selection. Dr. Robert Schumacher, PhD, Managing Director, will be motivating the need for and showing specifically how to use usability criteria during the EHR procurement process.

EHRs are quickly becoming the hot topic as a national push to expand the support of computerized medical records has accelerated in the new administration. In a speech on January 8, President Obama stated his support of EHRs, “ To improve the quality of our health care while lowering its costs, we will make the immediate investments necessary to ensure that within five years, all of America 's medical records are computerized." With EHRs holding a national spotlight, it is important to break down the barriers to implementation.

The TEPR Medical Records conference will be held in Palm Springs, CA from Feb 2-5, 2009. For conference program visit http://www.medrecinst.com/TEPR/TEPRProgram.php.

About User Centric, Inc.

User Centric is a global consulting firm that focuses on improving user experience. We apply our expertise to projects involving handhelds, web sites, software, medical devices, print, packaging, and telephony services. Experience, quality, value, global reach and outstanding client services set us apart. Our services include user research, user interface design consulting, information architecture, usability testing, user interface evaluations, eye tracking, and online surveys. Learn more about us at www.UserCentric.com.

User Centric is a partner of the UXalliance (www.UXalliance.com). The UXalliance is the international network for user experience. Founded in 2005 by the leading usability companies in Europe, North America, and Asia, they are ideally placed to lead international user experience research. The UXalliance combines the resources of 14 companies, 220 user research professionals worldwide, and over 40 testing facilities.

About TEPR

TEPR+ is the premier health IT conference for clinicians, healthcare executives, and HIM and HIT professionals seeking the most innovative, cutting-edge and practical solutions for today's health IT issues.