Error by omission: A lack of integration across implementation and use in structuring health information technology contracts

Abstract

Limited work identifies best practices to assess functional electronic health record system performance when contracting for health information technology and information technology–related services. Without a set of best practices or specific contracting provisions to assess the performance of electronic health record systems, healthcare providers will not be able to fully leverage the performance of these systems to reduce the cost of care and improve patient outcomes. This work seeks to provide operational considerations and best practices when forming teams to negotiate health information technology system specifications in contracts. To better understand the contracting and performance assessment process, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of eligible healthcare personnel. Our study highlights a potential disconnect between respondents setting contract structure, knowledge of ongoing functional performance assessments in practice, and the relationship to those with direct system involvement to avoid potential legal risk.