[Nfbf-l] Important message for members

[Merry Schoch]

Hello Federation Floridians,

 

One issue that impacts many of us in the Social Services and healthcare
industry was in the latest newsletter of the Jernigan Institute.  For those
members and students who are involved in the industry I thought it very
important to share this information with you.  Please find below the
information from the newsletter:


Advocacy


Seeking Electronic Health Record (EHR) Accessibility Information from Health
Care Industry Employees and Students

The health care and social assistance industry is predicted to add nearly 5
million jobs by 2022, per Bureau of Labor Statistics' data, making it the
largest U.S. industry in terms of number of jobs.  As such, the industry
offers ample opportunity for employment for blind individuals, provided it
is, and remains, accessible.  

The accessibility of health information technology is of timely importance
to the NFB, considering both current federal incentives for health care
providers to adopt EHR software and the multitude of EHR vendors presently
contracting with these providers.  

In an effort to understand how members are affected by the influx of EHRs,
the NFB is gathering accessibility data from members whose job or school
duties involve entering, reviewing, and/or retrieving data within EHRs.  If
you work in the health care industry and encounter EHRs regularly at your
job, or if you are a student enrolled in a health care program and your
coursework or internship involves EHR software, NFB needs to hear from you.


EHRs in question may include Epic, Allscripts, Cerner, eClinicalWorks,
NextGen, and other software companies' products.

Please call Valerie Yingling, paralegal, at 410-659-9314, extension 2440, to
share your EHR experiences, both positive and negative.  Your feedback in
this area is critical and will help to guide future NFB advocacy and legal
efforts.

 

 

Sincerely,

Merry C. Schoch, MSW ISW#6961

President

Human Services divisionof the National Federation of the Blind, Inc.