While there is no single EHR system that will satisfy all the needs of every practice, many medical professionals still think EHR implementation can follow a cookie-cutter approach. One expert thinks this attitude could have negative consequences for the ultimate success of the technology.

Keith Boone, a member of the HL7 board and co-chair of the Patient Care Coordination Planning Committee for Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise, recently wrote in Healthcare IT that many physicians view EHRs as a program that once installed will be fully functional. However, they should approach the technology as a platform that will need to be built up in stages.

He wrote that no two practices run exactly the same, even within the same specialty and geographic region, and different offices may have preexisting technology in place. These factors make out-of-the-box EHR implementation essentially impossible.

Practices transitioning to electronic record keeping may benefit from working with the technical support resources available to them. This may include the ONC's Regional Extension Offices or the EHR vendor. Taking the time to implement the technology appropriately will lead to higher quality results.