By taking five minutes to make eight changes to the way a practice's EHR functions, physicians can save one to two hours a day, reducing burnout, according to an August report from the American Medical Association.
Eight EHR changes to save time daily:
1. Minimize alerts: Keep only alerts with favorable cost-benefit ratios.
2. Simplify logins: Streamline logins by updating elements such as single sign-in, fingerprint or facial recognition.
3. Extend time before auto-logout: Set security measures based on computer usage and location. If physicians are alone in an exam room using the same computer for hours, change the auto-logout settings for that period of time.
4. Decrease password burdens: Change the intervals between password reset requirements.
5. Reduce clicks in ordering: Cut down on excessive clinical data required to order tests.
6. Eliminate password revalidation: Do not require repeated physician logins when sending in prescriptions for noncontrolled substances.
7. Reduce note excess: Reduce the number links that automatically pull in data from other parts of EHR.
8. Simplify order-entry processes: Optimize technology to automatically populate data fields.