There is no single hardware checklist that applies to every electronic health record (EHR). Technology requirements depend on the product, care setting, number of users, interfaces, security responsibilities, and any government or payer program the organization participates in. A useful evaluation separates formal certification requirements from the practical requirements needed to run the system safely and reliably.
What does EHR certification mean?
The ONC Health IT Certification Program is a voluntary federal program for health IT products and modules. Developers demonstrate that a product meets adopted certification criteria. The program supports the use of certified technology in certain other programs, but this does not mean every organization or every EHR product is universally required to be certified. Requirements depend on the program and use case.
Certification is also not a blanket guarantee that a product will fit a practice’s workflows, exchange every type of data it needs, or make the organization compliant with all laws. Verify the specific product, module, version, and certified capabilities in the current ONC resources, then confirm that they address the organization’s requirements.
Six areas to evaluate before selecting an EHR
1. Devices, network, and hosting
Confirm which computers, tablets, browsers, operating systems, scanners, printers, and network connections the product supports. For a cloud-hosted service, clarify connectivity needs, downtime procedures, responsibilities for updates, and how the organization will work if internet access is interrupted. Specific minimum specifications are product-dependent; obtain them from the vendor and test them in the intended environment.
2. Security and privacy responsibilities
Understand how users are authenticated, how access is assigned and removed, what audit information is available, and how data are protected in transit and at rest. Review backups, incident response, recovery, support access, and vendor responsibilities. The HIPAA Security Rule requires covered entities and business associates to implement safeguards for electronic protected health information; buying an EHR does not, by itself, make an organization compliant. Requirements depend on the organization’s role and circumstances.
3. Interoperability and data exchange
List the outside systems the organization needs to exchange information with, such as laboratories, pharmacies, hospitals, imaging providers, or public-health systems. Ask which standards and interfaces are supported, what information can actually be exchanged, whether additional fees apply, and who resolves failed transactions. A standards claim should be verified for the specific product configuration and workflow.
4. Data access, migration, and reporting
Ask how records will be migrated, validated, searched, exported, and retained. Confirm what reports are available, how data definitions are documented, and what happens to access and data at contract termination. Test a realistic export and a sample report before relying on them for operations or compliance work.
5. Workflow, usability, and accessibility
Map a normal patient journey and ask the vendor to demonstrate it with the organization’s real roles and scenarios. Include registration, documentation, orders, results, referrals, billing-related tasks, and follow-up as relevant. Evaluate accessibility, language needs, role permissions, error handling, and the number of steps required. A feature list is less useful than observing whether people can complete their work accurately.
6. Implementation, training, and ongoing support
Review implementation milestones, staff time, data cleanup, training, support hours, service availability, maintenance, upgrade notices, and responsibility for interfaces. Include downtime plans and practice for recovery. Make sure the organization has a named owner for each ongoing operational and security responsibility.
