EHR Code of Conduct
Established in 2004, the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Association (the Association) is comprised of companies that supply the vast majority of operational EHRs to physicians’ practices and hospitals across the United States. The EHR Association operates on the premise that the rapid, widespread adoption of EHRs will, as a key enabler of healthcare transformation, help improve the quality of patient care as well as the productivity and sustainability of our healthcare system. The Association is the primary organization through which EHR developers collaborate on industry issues, and we are pleased to offer this Code of Conduct as a sign of our commitment to best practices in a wide variety of areas. Recognizing the transformative power of health IT, we put forward the initial version of the EHR Developer Code of Conduct in June 2013 as a reflection of our industry’s ongoing commitment to collaborate as trusted partners with all stakeholders.
The EHR Developer Code of Conduct applies to EHR developers, which might be stand-alone companies or divisions or business units of companies with other non-EHR lines of business. As we are mindful of the laws and regulations that affect our clients, as well as the important role of health IT in their environments, the Code is intended to complement related government actions, not supersede or duplicate them.
The EHR Association’s members have a long tradition of working with our customers to improve care, increase efficiencies, enhance patient safety, and provide better outcomes. In this context, the Association and its member companies recognize the importance to all stakeholders of promoting a set of transparent industry principles that reflect our continued commitment to support safe healthcare delivery, recognize the value and impact that EHRs have for patients and families, foster continued innovation, and operate with high integrity in the market.
The EHR Developer Code of Conduct focuses on:
- General business practices
- Patient safety
- Usability
- Interoperability and data portability
- Clinical and billing documentation
- Privacy and security
- Patient engagement
The Code was developed and revised by the EHR Association through engagement with stakeholders representing government, health care provider associations, and consumers. In the future, the EHR Association will periodically review the Code and make updates as needed (see version 2).
All comments or questions regarding the EHR Developer Code of Conduct should be directed to ehrcodeofconduct@himss.org.
Adoption
The EHR Association offers this Code of Conduct to all organizations that develop EHR systems or functionality, regardless of Association membership. Recognizing that every company has different business models and practices, companies that adopt the Code will be responsible for determining the applicability of the Code to their own business, evaluating whether the Code’s principles are relevant. Adoption of the Code means that the company is committed to all of its principles and has completed or is in the process of implementing the practices needed to apply these principles within the company. The Association provides resources for EHR developers to adopt the Code, including a FAQ, Implementation Guide, and Badge.
EHRA encourages companies that have adopted the Code to complete a brief form as notification of adoption; this is not, however, a requirement.
Version 2 - Published February 2016
The Association published a revised edition of the EHR Code of Conduct in February 2016, which introduces important new tenets that extend and reinforce your organization’s commitment to operate with integrity and transparency. As of July 1, 2017, version 1 is no longer considered valid and cannot be referenced as current adoption of the Code. Therefore, all health IT companies are encouraged to review Version 2 carefully and take steps to integrate it into their business practices to ensure compliance with the current, active version.
EHR Code of Conduct Resources
Frequently Asked Questions (Version 2)