Successful User’s Guide to High EHR Satisfaction 2023

In the Arch Collaborative data, “highly satisfied” users are defined as those who agree or strongly agree that (1) the EHR enables them to deliver high-quality care and (2) the EHR makes them as efficient as possible. Clinicians who respond in the affirmative to both of these questions are then asked a follow-up question: What do you believe you do differently from some of your peers that enables you to be highly successful with the EHR? This report looks at the feedback of 3,061 highly satisfied clinicians; data was collected December 2021—December 2022.

The Most Successful EHR Users Take Personal Ownership for Mastering the EHR

Highly satisfied EHR users give a variety of responses when asked what differentiates them from less satisfied peers, but the most common success factor (reported by 27%) is personal initiative. This includes proactive efforts by the clinician to learn the EHR and seek help when they have questions. The second most common response is that the clinician is experienced with the specific EHR in use (from years of use at either the current organization or a previous employer). Personalization and having a good attitude tie for the third most common factors. The table below outlines these and other top factors and shares relevant case studies (where available) from Arch Collaborative organizations that give insight into how these factors can be encouraged.

Providers: Use of Personalization Tools Is the Top Success Factor

Highly satisfied providers^† most commonly cite use of personalization tools as the reason for their success with the EHR. EHR personalization is important for providers because it can enhance their overall experience with the system by making it feel reliable and efficient. However, provider comments about personalization reveal that too often, providers feel they are on their own when it comes to understanding what personalizations are available to them and how to make them and then finding time to implement them. This aligns with the second most common factor in provider success, which is personal initiative to learn the EHR. The webinar from Collaborative member OrthoVirginia highlights the importance of fostering a sense of personal initiative among providers.

† In Collaborative research, the term “providers” refers to physicians, physician residents, and advanced practice providers.

Nurses: Personal Initiative Is by Far the Most Influential Factor for Highly Successful Nurses

30% of highly successful nurse respondents say being proactive about learning the EHR is the key to their success, making it the clear dominant factor among the highly satisfied. Experience with the EHR and a positive mindset are the second and third most common responses. Personalization tools are less important for nurses than they are for providers, given that they are less prevalent in nurse workflows.

Key Takeaways

• Personal accountability is the most commonly reported reason for EHR success, coming in as the first or second reason for providers, nurses, and all clinicians combined. Leadership should empower their clinicians to take ownership of their own EHR satisfaction journey.
• Highly successful providers commonly use personalization tools to enhance their use of the EHR. Implementation of these tools is frequently driven by the providers themselves and represents an opportunity for healthcare organizations and vendors to better support providers. Health systems should create time and environments to allow providers to personalize the EHR to better fit their workflow needs.
• Experience with the EHR is consistently a top-cited success factor across providers, nurses, and all clinicians combined.

Download the full report to see additional data on highly successful users of athenahealth, Epic, MEDITECH, and Oracle Health (Cerner).

What Is the KLAS Arch Collaborative?

The Arch Collaborative is a group of healthcare organizations committed to improving the EHR experience through standardized surveys and benchmarking. To date, almost 300 healthcare organizations have surveyed their end users and over 380,000 clinicians have responded. Reports such as this one seek to synthesize the feedback from these clinicians into actionable insights that organizations can use to revolutionize patient care by unlocking the potential of the EHR.