The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) is challenging all EMR/EHR vendors. They are launching what they call a safety challenge, calling on all vendors to work with their software developers to create an app to help users identify safety concerns.This week, they challenged vendors to focus on an app that integrates the EMR/WHR workflow, and minimize the time it takes to create a safety report, which will allow users to choose who to report concerns to. The nice thing about this, is that it is product agnostic. This means every vendor can use it.

The ONC is offering over $80,000 in prizes. Click here to see the full challenge.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has long been a supporter of the safe use of an electronic health record. They have created guides as resources that provide all sizes of healthcare organizations and EMR/EHR developers with evidence-based recommendations they can use to optimize patient safety, and the safe use of electronic records. Appropriate implementation of an electronic health record, along with proper user training improves the usability and stability by the users, including physicians, nurses and other clinicians.