On January 15, 2014, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released the Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience (SAFER) Guides.  The SAFER Guides can be found here.

The SAFER Guides, which are part of ONC’s Health Information Technology Patient Safety Action & Surveillance Plan (July 2013), are self-assessment tools designed to help health care providers identify and mitigate the safety risks associated with the use of EHR and other technology.  Although the SAFER Guides include recommended practices for providers, the ONC has expressly disclaimed their use “for legal compliance purposes,” i.e., to evaluate compliance with EHR incentive program rules, HIPAA, or other laws.  See ONC, General Instructions for the SAFER Self Assessment Guides (Jan. 2014).Continue Reading ONC Releases SAFER Guides to Help Providers Safely Use EHR and Other Technology