More than ever, physicians and other practitioners are using and embracing electronic health records (EHRs) and other technology, but they still see these systems as far from perfect. At the same time, some of these concerns are shared by patients and families as they become more tech savvy. According to a report from Stanford Medicine and the Harris Poll, two-thirds (63%) of primary care practitioners (PCPs) believe that EHRs have led to improved care and are “somewhat” satisfied with their current system. Most (70%) say EHRs have improved over the last five years. However, 40% say that there are more challenges with EHRs than benefits. Among other findings from the study:•49% of office-based PCPs think that using an EHR actually detracts from their clinical effectiveness•71% agree that EHRs greatly contribute to physician burnout•8% say the primary value of their EHR is clinically related Over half of practitioners (59%) think that that EHRs need a complete overhaul. Specifically, 72% think that improving the user interface of EHRs could best address the challenges in the immediate future. Elsewhere, 67% think that solving interoperability deficiencies should be the top priority for EHRs in the next decade, and 43% want better predictive analytics to support disease diagnosis, prevention, and population health management. Nine of 10 physicians want EHRs to be more intuitive and responsive.Make the Most of EHR•Future-proof your practice. The ability to coordinate care instantly and seamlessly via the internet is an emerging giant in the field of medicine and of tantamount importance to the future of health care. Keep ahead of the curve by leveraging your EHR to grow the percentage of patients whose clinical information is shared electronically across care settings.•Think about your notes beyond what they mean clinically. For practitioners receiving Medicare reimbursements, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services treats progress notes like itemized bills. The notes entered into your EHR today not only need to convey important medical information about patients to other medical staff but also should document the accurate information requested by Medicare.•Remember that good data entry enables a focus on patient care. Timely, accurate, and robust data entry into your EHR lets the business-minded people in your practice do what they do best and frees the practitioners to focus on providing the best patient care possible. •Future-proof your practice. The ability to coordinate care instantly and seamlessly via the internet is an emerging giant in the field of medicine and of tantamount importance to the future of health care. Keep ahead of the curve by leveraging your EHR to grow the percentage of patients whose clinical information is shared electronically across care settings.•Think about your notes beyond what they mean clinically. For practitioners receiving Medicare reimbursements, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services treats progress notes like itemized bills. The notes entered into your EHR today not only need to convey important medical information about patients to other medical staff but also should document the accurate information requested by Medicare.•Remember that good data entry enables a focus on patient care. Timely, accurate, and robust data entry into your EHR lets the business-minded people in your practice do what they do best and frees the practitioners to focus on providing the best patient care possible. Only 3% of PCPs don’t see any value in their EHR system. However, they overwhelmingly agree that this technology puts constraints on their time, adds to their administrative burdens, and hurts their relationship with patients.PALTC practitioners should start to prepare for conversations about patient data protection, which will become commonplace in the near future. A love-hate relationship with EHRs isn’t uncommon for practitioners, but there are some who love their information technology. What kind of system wins practitioners’ affections? It’s one that involves physicians and other practitioners in its design, is easily integrated into their workflow, enables access to information without multiple clicks or searches, and frees them for direct patient care, said Darren Swenson, MD, the CEO and president of US Post Acute Care in Tacoma, WA. Features such as a voice-to-text interface also are popular. This enables practitioners to focus on their conversation with the patient and lets the system record necessary information. “Rather than searching for a field, you just say the field. Some even have medical libraries built into the application to help ensure accuracy,” said Dustin Baker, security manager and privacy officer at GPM, Inc., in Asheville, NC. While the Stanford poll didn’t address practitioners’ concerns about privacy, this is an issue on everyone’s minds. They’ve either read about security breaches that have affected others, or they’ve personally experienced a breach. “One of the most important decisions we have to make as practice managers is protecting patient information and the organization,” said Dr. Swenson. He added, “One appeal of a good EHR is a two-step verification process. That ensures that if a laptop or other device is lost or stolen, we wouldn’t have to worry about patient information being accessed.” Dr. Swenson stressed, “Protecting patient data should be at the top of our list. These individuals should expect us to protect their information at all costs.” Increasingly, he suggested, cybersecurity is part of orientation for new providers. “We address HIPAA and cybersecurity in the first week, and we continue to provide updates on these issues over time as new developments or security threats arise,” he said. As stories about health system and organization cyber breaches make headlines, patients and their families are becoming more aware of security issues. At the same time, patient-generated health data from wearable and remote devices present new opportunities for security problems. In one study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, about a third of patients surveyed said they are “very concerned” that an unauthorized individual or entity will be able to access their private data, and 26% said they are “somewhat concerned.” Further, some patients have expressed worries that data from their health records will be used to deny them health benefits, insurance, or job opportunities. Dr. Swenson said that, to date, he “can’t think of one patient or family member [in post-acute and long-term care] who has asked me about the security of information.” However, he added, “I think we will see our operators, patients, and families start asking about things such as how we protect patient information and how we communicate and share data.” He suggested that practitioners should start to prepare for such conversations. For instance, he brings his tablet to meetings with new facilities and team leaders and shows them how his practice’s EHR works. He said, “Immediately, they relax and feel more comfortable that we are doing everything we can to protect data and prevent breaches.” Senior contributing writer Joanne Kaldy is a freelance writer in Harrisburg, PA, and a communications consultant for the Society and other organizations.