(Washington) Yesterday AmericanEHR partners welcomed the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) as its newest member and Partner Organization. In conjunction with professional societies, AmericanEHR Partners' primary objective is to provide comprehensive and trustworthy information to support clinicians in the selection and use of electronic health records (EHR) in order to improve healthcare delivery.
"With the addition of AAFP's support, we are now positioned to collect the most comprehensive set of EHR satisfaction data in the U.S. for primary care practices," said Dr. Alan Brookstone, CEO of Cientis Technologies and co-founder of AmericanEHR Partners. "We believe that as practices transition to Meaningful Use of EHRs, AmericanEHR Partners will play an increasingly important role as a national source of data to guide EHR selection and use based on user experiences. As the second largest medical specialty organization in the country, AAFP brings a wealth of experience regarding use of EHRs by family physicians that can be shared with other specialties."
AAFP joins the American College of Physicians (ACP), American Medical Association (AMA) and American College of Surgeons (ACS) and 17 other organizations in supporting the program. AmericanEHR Partners has become a leading resource for physicians to access unbiased ratings and information about EHR systems and vendors.
"AAFP has a wealth of resources and knowledge about EHR adoption and optimization in practice," said Michael S. Barr, MD, senior vice president of ACP's division of Medical Practice, Professionalism and Quality. "We look forward to adding AAFP's expertise and guidance to the growing number of professional societies and content partners contributing to AmericanEHR Partners."
"According to our 2010 Practice Profile Survey, more than 63 percent of AAFP members were using an EHR in 2010 to improve quality and efficiency in their practices. This strong percentage enables us to draw from their experiences to encourage more family physicians to adopt the technology," said Steven E. Waldren, MD, director of the AAFP Center for Health IT. "We value our new relationship with AmericanEHR Partners. This collaborative tool will serve as the primary resource for our members to find unbiased information to help them identify the best EHR for their unique practice needs."
About the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 105,900 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care. Approximately one in four of all office visits are made to family physicians. The mission of the AAFP has been to preserve and promote the science and art of family medicine and to ensure high-quality, cost-effective health care for patients of all ages.
About the American College of Physicians (ACP)
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization and the second-largest physician group in the United States. ACP members include 132,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internists specialize in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illness in adults. Follow ACP on Twitter and Facebook.
About AmericanEHR Partners
AmericanEHR Partners is a free, online resource designed to aid the medical community with the selection, implementation, and effective use of health information technology and electronic health records (EHR). It does not endorse any electronic healthcare record vendor. AmericanEHR Partners was founded by the American College of Physicians and Cientis Technologies and is supported by 20 professional societies with a combined membership of more than 700,000 clinicians, representing over 65 percent of physicians in the U.S. For more information on AmericanEHR Partners, please visit: www.americanehr.com.