Top 14 Electronic Health Records Tips for 2026

If you are considering using Electronic Health Records (EHR) in your medical practice, or have recently switched to it, you might be looking for a few EHR tips to help you along the way.

As helpful as it is, EHR does not come without its challenges. The system implementation can take a long time, some doctors might have a harder time adapting to it, and you have to familiarize yourself with all the features if you want to take full advantage of its benefits.

For this reason, we have compiled a list of the top 12 EHR tips and tricks to help you take full advantage of your new electronic healthcare system.

11+ Tips to Make the Most Out of Electronic Health Records

As we mentioned, some common pitfalls many healthcare practices experience when they first start using EHRs are normal and expected.

For example, staff members may struggle to get familiar with the new system, doctors might have a hard time juggling patient interaction and electronic data entry, or you simply might not know how to utilize many of the EHR features.

So, read on for a comprehensive list of the most important EHR tips to help you overcome any obstacles your practice might face when making a transition to using EHR:

Tip #1. Make use of electronic features

One of the biggest benefits of EHR is that it turns patient records digital.

But in addition to saving time and space through digitalization, EHR includes several other useful features that can significantly improve your medical practice.

Some of these features include:

• Integration with other information sources. EHR software can be linked with other systems which your laboratories and imaging departments may use. This allows you to exchange data with your colleagues and associates quicker, and provide more timely patient care. You no longer have to wait for the physical copies of X-rays or CAT scans to be delivered, because you can just access their digital versions in the EHR system.
• E-prescriptions. With this feature, patients no longer need to carry paper prescriptions to pharmacies. This can improve patient experience, as patients won't have to travel back and forth, but can rather pick up their medications right after their appointment. E-prescriptions can also store pharmacy preferences in your patients' records, include built-in alerts for medication interactions, allergies, and dosing, and avoid errors caused by messy handwriting.
• Telemedicine. The option to provide healthcare remotely can be a game-changer. This tool allows you to engage with patients who are under quarantine, have limited mobility, live far away, are traveling, or simply find online consultations more convenient.

Tip #2. Utilize EHR mobile features

Another must-know EHR tip? Taking advantage of its mobile feature.

Being a doctor requires that you're always ready to be called in (even when you're off duty). For example, patients can have a medical emergency, require answers to urgent questions, or may need a prescription refill while their doctor is off duty.

Since EHRs are stored online, it is possible to allow your employees to access your system from anywhere and use mobile features to book appointments while on the go, check their prescriptions on the way to the pharmacy, and more.

So, make sure to use the EHR mobile feature to make doctors more accessible to your patients.

Tip #3. Offer your physicians training and guidance

Due to the complexity of EHR systems, it takes time to get fully accustomed to and competent at using them.

As such, it is crucial to provide your staff with the proper training.

If members of your healthcare practice team do not know how to use an EHR system, they are far more likely to feel unsatisfied with their work, err more, and feel burned-out.

Along with initial training, implement regular, ongoing training to keep your staff up to date on your EHR features and tools so that they can provide the highest quality patient care.

Whatever EHR system you pick, make sure it comes with free training and support for your staff.

For example, Medesk training and support is available 24/7 to help you create document templates, support to solve technical issues, or simply hear your feedback.

Tip #4. Balance Screen Time with Patient Interaction

A big part of EHR training focuses on doctor-patient interaction, and for good reason. When you are new to EHR, it is easy to get distracted by the computer screen, lose the natural flow of a consultation, or enter data in ways that feel impersonal to patients.

Here are practical ways to maintain the right balance throughout your appointments:

• Take note of how you split your time between your computer screen and your patient. Be aware of habits like glancing at the screen when receiving non-relevant clinical information, and actively reduce them.
• Give your undivided attention during initial introductions and while the patient is sharing sensitive information. Remember to make eye contact and mostly face your patient.
• Keep talking with your patient while you enter data. If the patient has to constantly stop and go during their appointment, they will not feel at ease and may lose their train of thought.
• Keep your hands off the keyboard and mouse unless you are actively entering or checking information. Lean away from the monitor when you are listening.
• Adjust your timing around your patient. Learn to type as you listen and let the patient control the flow of information. Try not to interrupt your patient while they are talking in order to record data.
• Acknowledge or ask your patients for permission before entering data on their medical charts. A simple phrase like "Let's record your weight and blood pressure in your chart here" makes patients feel included rather than observed.
• Involve the patient in your interaction with the computer whenever possible. Display test results, notes, or information to the patient or their family to make them feel more engaged and satisfied with the encounter.
• Point to the screen when discussing data so they feel involved when you are consulting their record, and tell your patient what you are doing when you shift attention to the computer.
• Review and tailor your notes and areas of concern before the visit so that you can focus your time and attention on your patient in the examination room. Avoid asking questions that are not relevant or that the patient has already answered.

A survey conducted by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons revealed that even when 75% of doctors believed their communication skills were good, only 21% of patients agreed. Do not let EHR be another factor that negatively affects your communication skills.

Tip #5. Encourage use of the patient portal

One of the core features of EHR is the patient portal.

A patient portal can be a powerful tool that allows your patients access to all their medical records and treatment plans online. This gives them more control over their healthcare from the comfort of their home.

It will not be very helpful, however, if you do not encourage your patients to use this tool. Make sure you explain to them all the benefits, provide instructions for getting the maximum use out of the patient portal, and remind them to use it to make healthcare services more accessible.

Using the patient portal, your patients will be able to:

• Check their latest test results from the comfort of their home.
• Set up appointments online, which is a much quicker and easier process that will make your patients more likely to book visits.
• Receive answers from their doctors about urgent questions faster.
• Receive reminders for vaccinations and other routine procedures.
• View their medical records and treatment plans without having to visit the clinic.
• Keep track of their progress online, allowing their doctor to monitor them, potentially reducing the need for follow-ups.

Tip #6. Use EHRs to Strengthen Care Coordination

When a patient sees multiple providers, such as a primary care physician, a cardiologist, and a specialist, the risk of fragmented care increases significantly. Without a shared, unified record, one provider may be unaware of a prescription another has written, or a diagnosis that changes the recommended treatment plan entirely.

Effective care coordination EHR practices help close these gaps. A well-integrated EHR makes a complete, up-to-date patient record accessible to every authorized provider involved in that patient's care. This means:

• Specialists receive relevant history before the appointment, without requiring the patient to repeat information or carry paper records.
• Medication conflicts are flagged automatically when a new prescription is added, regardless of which provider is entering it.
• Discharge summaries and referral notes are transferred electronically rather than relying on fax or phone, reducing delays and transcription errors.
• Care transitions become smoother, whether a patient moves between a hospital, a rehabilitation center, or an outpatient clinic.

To get the most from EHR-supported care coordination, make sure your system is configured to share relevant data across care team members and that your referral workflows are mapped clearly within the platform.

Tip #7. Prioritize EHR Interoperability

Integration gets a brief mention in Tip #1, but interoperability deserves its own focus. Interoperability is the ability of different health information systems to exchange and actually use data with one another. It goes beyond simply linking two systems. It means that a record created in one platform can be read, interpreted, and acted upon by a completely different system at another facility or practice.

In practice, poor interoperability creates real problems: lab results that cannot be pulled into a referring physician's EHR, imaging reports that require manual re-entry, or patient histories that are incomplete because data from a previous provider is locked in an incompatible format.

To improve interoperability in your practice:

• Ask vendors about HL7 and FHIR compliance. These are the current standards for health data exchange. A system that supports FHIR APIs is better positioned to connect with external platforms, patient-facing apps, and government health networks.
• Audit your current data flows. Identify where information is being re-entered manually and trace it back to an interoperability gap.
• Prioritize integration with your most-used external systems first, such as your primary lab, radiology provider, or referral network.

Solving interoperability gaps reduces duplicate testing, speeds up clinical decisions, and gives every provider in a patient's care team a complete picture.

Tip #8. Leverage Clinical Decision Support Tools

One of the most underused capabilities in modern EHR platforms is clinical decision support (CDS). These are built-in tools that provide reminders, prompts, alerts, and evidence-based recommendations at the point of care to help clinicians make safer, more consistent decisions.

Clinical decision support features can include:

• Drug interaction and allergy alerts that flag potential conflicts before a prescription is finalized.
• Preventive care reminders that prompt physicians when a patient is overdue for a screening, vaccination, or follow-up based on their age, diagnosis, or last recorded visit.
• Diagnostic support that surfaces relevant clinical guidelines or differential diagnoses based on the symptoms and data entered.
• Order sets and protocols aligned with evidence-based best practices for common conditions.

To use clinical decision support effectively, work with your EHR vendor to ensure alerts are configured appropriately for your patient population. Alerts that are too frequent, too generic, or poorly timed tend to be dismissed without review, a problem known as alert fatigue. Calibrating which alerts are shown, to whom, and at what threshold is an ongoing process that should involve your clinical leads.

Tip #9. Ensure Strict HIPAA Compliance and Data Security

For any practice using an EHR system, HIPAA compliance EHR requirements are not optional. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act sets the legal standard for how patient health information must be stored, accessed, and transmitted. Violations can result in significant financial penalties and, more importantly, serious harm to patient trust.

Practically speaking, strong EHR data security involves several layers:

• Role-based access controls ensure that each staff member can only access the records relevant to their role. A front desk coordinator should not have the same access as an attending physician.
• Audit logs record every instance of a record being accessed, modified, or exported. These logs are essential for detecting unauthorized access and demonstrating compliance during audits.
• Encrypted data transmission protects patient information as it moves between your EHR, external labs, insurance systems, and patient-facing portals.
• Regular security training for all staff reduces the risk of breaches caused by phishing, weak passwords, or improper device handling.
• Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) must be in place with any third-party vendor that handles protected health information on your behalf, including your EHR provider.

When evaluating or renewing your EHR contract, confirm that your vendor provides a BAA, maintains SOC 2 compliance, and has a documented breach notification process. These are baseline requirements, not extras.

Tip #10. Mitigate Common EHR Usability and Safety Challenges

Even well-implemented EHR systems can introduce safety risks if usability issues go unaddressed. Recognizing these challenges is an important step toward reducing their impact on patient care.

Common EHR usability and safety challenges include:

• Alert fatigue. When clinicians receive too many notifications, they begin dismissing them reflexively, including alerts that genuinely matter. Work with your EHR configuration team to reduce low-value alerts and ensure that critical ones are visually distinct and clearly actionable.
• Default value errors. EHR systems often pre-populate fields with defaults, such as dosage frequencies or units of measurement. If a clinician does not notice that a default has changed or is incorrect for their patient, it can result in a medication error. Build in review checkpoints and train staff to verify defaults rather than accepting them automatically.
• Visual display confusion. Cluttered or poorly organized screens can cause clinicians to misread information, particularly for medications with similar names or when decimal points are involved. If your EHR allows display customization, take the time to simplify views for the most common clinical tasks.
• Information stored in the wrong location. If relevant data such as allergies or orders is saved in an unexpected part of the record, other providers may miss it entirely. Establish and enforce documentation standards across your team.
• Interoperability gaps within the same system. Sometimes data entered in one department or module is not visible in another. Test these internal handoffs regularly, particularly at care transition points.

Addressing these issues is not a one-time task. Build a feedback loop where clinical staff can flag usability problems and review them with your EHR administrator on a regular basis.

Tip #11. Try using templates and reports

Among the many tools that EHRs offer, templates and reporting tools are among the most effective.

So, if you want to use your EHR system to reduce your staff's workload, make sure you properly utilize these tools!

They can help you:

• Significantly reduce the time needed to work on patient charts and records.
• Reuse common sets of data.
• Increase the efficiency and accuracy of your physicians' work.
• Remember to enter key information.
• Organize information and input data.

Tip #12. Customize the system to your needs

One size can never truly fit all. To optimize your EHR, it's important to customize it to your specific needs.

Even minor customizations can have a big impact on how well your EHR fits into your private practice. For example, it can read the patterns of patient symptoms as you enter them and give you auto-fill suggestions.

A well-configured EHR system will reduce the time your staff needs to spend in front of the computer, save time during patient visits, improve their satisfaction, and reduce the burden on your staff.

Tip #13. Improve your computer and typing skills

This one is a bit of a no-brainer. You need computer skills to work with a computer-based system such as an EHR.

This ties in with ongoing staff training as well. Your physicians and the rest of your staff should continuously work on their screen-scanning and typing speed and accuracy.

This is something that will naturally improve over time as your staff uses EHR, but should still be encouraged to actively pursue it, even by the more tech-savvy users because it can increase speed, accuracy, and one-on-one interaction between your patients and doctors.

Tip #14. Be patient

According to a study conducted on the usability of EHRs, time restrictions and psychological pressure are associated with a lower competence of healthcare staff using EHR systems.

It can take medical professionals a long time to become confident using EHRs. Have patience and accept the fact that it's a long process that always has room for improvement.

Want to Start Using EHR in Your Medical Practice? Try Medesk!

Medesk is one the most user-friendly and intuitive EHR system and practice management software on the market today.

It comes with a host of tools and features that will help you elevate your healthcare practice to the next level!

Some of these tools and features include:

• Reporting tools with 40+ templates that will cut down the time spent compiling reports.
• An online patient portal that lets your patients keep track of their treatment progress and view important information such as test results and immunization dates.
• Telemedicine so that you can provide care to your patients remotely when they are unable to come in for a visit.
• E-prescribing eliminates wait time and unnecessary travel for your patients.
• Evidence-based decision-making tools to help your physicians make accurate diagnoses and provide optimal treatment plans.

And much more!

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