Healthcare providers will have the opportunity to provide feedback on their EHR's interoperability in the future through a 28-question survey.
HHS contracted with The Urban Institute to develop the survey as part of the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016. On Oct. 13, the first version of the survey became available. The Urban Institute posted a draft of the criteria online this pat summer for a 60-day comment period and made revisions based on public feedback.
The firm received 31 comments from organizations including the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Epic, Cerner, Allscripts, Meditech and several clinical societies. The comments consistently mentioned concerns over how long it would take to complete the questionnaire and the level of data collected as well as the accuracy of data based on respondents. Commenters also recommended adding information about social determinants of health, objective usability measures and the patient experience.
The revised questionnaire asks participants to rate their satisfaction with their EHR vendor, whether they would recommend that vendor and satisfaction with interoperability. The survey also gathers information on how participants rank several areas, including:
• Usability of the EHR
• Workflow integration
• Communication
• Safety
• Cost
• Contractual information
• Vendor support