Usability is often blamed by physicians' as the root cause of their dissatisfaction with their electronic health record systems (EHRs)

Some of the usability issues are addressed in Stage 2 of the ONC Meaningful Use incentive program.

During that stage, usability has been made part of the certification process. Vendors must go through formal usability evaluations in order to have their products approved as complying with meaningful use.

Usability is not just the vendor's responsibility. Usability starts with "YOU"! It's important for physicians to speak up and tell their vendors where their EHR systems are failing them. Vendors who understand usability will be the ones who value and encourage customer feedback.

Practices should ask potential EHR vendors if they have a user experience team, or if anyone is collecting implementation findings or user surveys and how those findings are worked in to the software development life cycle. If you get the deer-stuck-in-the-headlight looks, then you'll know they have no idea what you're talking about.

For expert usability evaluations of your companies EHR: Contact The Usability People

Other Resource:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services offers an everything-you-need-to-know guide to Stage 2 Meaningful Use set to start in 2014 for those eligible professionals and hospitals participating in the Medicare program that reported for Stage 1 in 2011–2012. EPs/EHs that attested to Stage 1 in 2013 (under Medicare) have until 2016 to begin Stage 2. (See page 6 of Toolkit document.)

The toolkit is 158 pages but it includes tip sheets, all of the detail on 2014 clinical quality measures (CQMs), and information for hospitals. The content is relatively easy to navigate through the embedded hyperlinks.

Here is a link to the PDF: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentiveProg...