EHR Innovations That Should Be Happening But Aren’t

The Healthcare IT Today Community highlighted EHR innovations that should be prioritized but aren’t yet realized. Suggestions included real-time collaboration tools, improved patient access, integration of social determinants, and EHR-to-research pipelines. Experts emphasized the need for interoperable systems using FHIR APIs, AI scribes for efficiency, and personalized interfaces to reduce provider burnout. They also called for better data integration across systems, simulation capabilities for clinical decision support, and standardized metrics to evaluate EHR performance. Clinician-centered data visualization and patient-driven “health portfolios” were proposed to enhance usability and patient engagement. Embracing open ecosystems for third-party applications and tailoring EHRs to specialty-specific workflows were deemed critical to improving outcomes, reducing costs, and driving innovation.