The Electronic Health Record Association (EHRA) has established a workgroup focused on healthcare delivery system reform.

The trade group of EHR vendors hopes the Delivery System Reform Workgroup will aid in collaboration with providers, payers and patient advocacy group groups to ensure EHRs and other health IT systems are used the right way when it comes to healthcare payment and delivery reform policy. The workgroup plans to be a source of information and education for EHRA members as well as monitor and provide input to congressional and regulatory initiatives.

"There is a central relationship between health IT and the significant delivery system and payment reform efforts currently underway to shift healthcare toward value-based and integrated care models," said Mark Segal, PhD, of GE Healthcare IT and EHRA chair, in a release.

The workgroup will be a source of information and education for EHRA members, providing a forum for discission. "We anticipate a variety of payment and delivery reform initiatives that will continue to have a profound effect on the healthcare providers that we serve. These professionals and organizations rely upon us for education on how EHRs and other health IT can provide solutions to high-impact regulatory and market changes."

“We are seeing the real convergence of what has been traditionally siloed as clinical data and financial data into healthcare information that is essential to the success of accountable care organizations and new payment models. In keeping with EHRA’s efforts to provide practical advice and guidance to the regulatory process, this new workgroup will bring insights to policymakers and provide important information back to our members as these initiatives move forward,” Sarah Corley, MD, NextGen Healthcare CMO and EHRA vice chair.