The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (HealthIT) released the Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience (SAFER) guides in 2014 in order to “help healthcare organizations conduct self-assessments to optimize the safety and safe use of EHRs…” The SAFER guides focus on nine main areas:
- High Priority Practices
- Organizational Responsibilities
- Contingency Planning
- System Configuration
- System Interfaces
- Patient Identification
- Computerized Provider Order Entry with Decision Support
- Test Results Reporting and Follow-Up
- Clinician Communication
Link to guides: https://www.healthit.gov/topic/safety/safer-guides
These guides include checklists and resources that can help with a self-assessment of all 9 guides. While these self-assessments had just been a helpful resource for healthcare organizations, in 2022 they will be required. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) they will require eligible hospitals or Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) to attest that they have conducted a self-assessment of all 9 guides within the calendar year. The attestation includes “one ‘‘yes/no’’ attestation statement accounting for a complete self-assessment using all nine guides.”
It’s a good idea to start looking into these self-assessment’s now, instead of later. Have a conversation with leadership and IT on time and resources needed to complete the new CMS requirement!
