Health information technology and electronic health records in neurologic practice

The tipping point for electronic health records (EHR) has been reached and universal adoption in the United States is now inevitable. Neurologists will want to choose their electronic health record prudently. Careful selection, contracting, planning, and training are essential to successful implementation. Neurologists need to examine their workflow carefully and make adjustments to ensure that efficiency is increased. Neurologists will want to achieve a significant return on investment and qualify for all applicable financial incentives from payers, including CMS. EHRs are not just record-keeping tools but play an important role in quality improvement, evidence-based medicine, pay for performance, patient education, bio-surveillance, data warehousing, and data exchange.