Healthcare providers using EHR systems may soon have new information on best practices for improving clinical outcomes. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, which was authorized under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, recently announced that it will begin studying the use of technology in clinical settings.

The goal of the investigations, officials wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine, is to determine which tests and treatments deliver the most effective results at the lowest cost. Information will be gathered through physicians' use of EHR systems and results will be considered in this context.

The healthcare system is currently under a great deal of pressure to start delivering better care results at lower costs. Efficiency is one of the newest buzzwords in the industry, and for good reason. Compared to other countries, the U.S. healthcare system delivers relatively poor results, despite spending far more.

PCORI has a total of $3 billion to determine the best ways in which technology like EHR systems can deliver major improvements. It can then send findings and recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services, the lead organization directing the country's transition to a networked healthcare system.