A Primer on Electronic Health Records License Agreements
For quality to advance in this country, it is becoming increasingly clear that universal electronic medical records will be necessary. Proposed regulations to permit hospitals to provide record systems to their physicians have been published under Stark. Many physician practices are looking to obtain these programs. Whatever the source of an electronic health record system, it is certain there will have to be a license agreement by which the practice obtains access to the software, unless they build their own. In "A Primer on Electronic Health Records License Agreements", Daniel Shay reviews the context for these contracts, elucidates their common features, based on reviews of real-life documents, and points out pitfalls that physician practices should avoid in obtaining access to these vital practice accessories. In a practical, easily applied application of the deeper issues addressed in the primer, Daniel has also offered guidance on “Top Ten Questions To Ask When Looking At An EHR License Agreement.”