American Academy of Family Physicians joins AmericanEHR Partners

(Washington) Yesterday AmericanEHR partners welcomed the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) as its newest member and Partner Organization. In conjunction with professional societies, AmericanEHR Partners' primary objective is to provide comprehensive and trustworthy information to support clinicians in the selection and use of electronic health records (EHR) in order to improve healthcare delivery.

"With the addition of AAFP's support, we are now positioned to collect the most comprehensive set of EHR satisfaction data in the U.S. for primary care practices," said Dr. Alan Brookstone, CEO of Cientis Technologies and co-founder of AmericanEHR Partners. "We believe that as practices transition to Meaningful Use of EHRs, AmericanEHR Partners will play an increasingly important role as a national source of data to guide EHR selection and use based on user experiences. As the second largest medical specialty organization in the country, AAFP brings a wealth of experience regarding use of EHRs by family physicians that can be shared with other specialties."

AAFP joins the American College of Physicians (ACP), American Medical Association (AMA) and American College of Surgeons (ACS) and 17 other organizations in supporting the program. AmericanEHR Partners has become a leading resource for physicians to access unbiased ratings and information about EHR systems and vendors.

"AAFP has a wealth of resources and knowledge about EHR adoption and optimization in practice," said Michael S. Barr, MD, senior vice president of ACP's division of Medical Practice, Professionalism and Quality. "We look forward to adding AAFP's expertise and guidance to the growing number of professional societies and content partners contributing to AmericanEHR Partners."

"According to our 2010 Practice Profile Survey, more than 63 percent of AAFP members were using an EHR in 2010 to improve quality and efficiency in their practices. This strong percentage enables us to draw from their experiences to encourage more family physicians to adopt the technology," said Steven E. Waldren, MD, director of the AAFP Center for Health IT. "We value our new relationship with AmericanEHR Partners. This collaborative tool will serve as the primary resource for our members to find unbiased information to help them identify the best EHR for their unique practice needs."

Provided by American College of Physicians