Regardless of the specialty they work in, it is important for physicians to find an EHR vendor that is capable of meeting the unique needs of their practice. Many diverse types of professionals must adhere to the government's meaningful use rules, but a one-size-fits-all approach to EHR implementation is rarely successful.

For example, the American Academy of Ophthalmology recently released a list of features eye doctors should talk to their EHR vendor about. Average systems that were designed for general practices may not have these elements, but more customizable systems may.

The report calls for EHR systems that have features that track patients' "visual vital signs," which include visual acuity, stronger documentation when a patient is transferred from an ophthalmologist to a surgeon and a way to incorporate hand-drawn sketches.

While these things are not necessarily mandated by meaningful use, they are central to an ophthalmologist's practice, and the report says EHR systems for these professionals should include these features.

The report highlights the need for medical professionals in any specialty to find an EHR vendor that has been adopted successfully in other practices of the same specialty.