*The Center for Health Information Technology of the American Academy of
Family Physicians, AAFP, is dedicated to assisting physicians acquire
and use affordable, standards-based EHRs and other HIT, for the purposes
of improving quality, enhancing patient safety, and making gains in
practice efficiency.*

-   *The following tools and resources are among those developed during
    the past three years by the Center to advance this goal. During this
    time, the number of family physicians who use an EHR in their
    practices has increased significantly, from approximately ten
    percent to thirty percent of the AAFP's active membership.*

-   

-   [Consultative HIT Services]{.underline} are offered to a wide range
    of healthcare organizations and practices by physician staff of the
    AAFP's Center for Health Information Technology. These services
    include physician engagement programs, vendor selection, HIT
    strategic planning and deployment, and technical seminars on
    connectivity and interoperability. Clients have included individual
    medical groups, hospital systems, PHOs, major employers, health
    plans, and high technology firms, among others.

-   [\*Member discounts]{.underline} on EHRs and computer hardware. The
    AAFP Center for Health Information Technology is able to offer AAFP
    members significant discounts on software and hardware purchases,
    through the 97-member Partners for Patients program and the Online
    Buying Center.

-   [\*The EHR Physician Product Reviewer]{.underline}™ -- the 'Consumer
    Reports' of ambulatory electronic health record systems products and
    services for physicians, by physicians

    -   Includes over 550 reviews of EHR products and services, written
        by AAFP members who use them in their practices

    -   Currently includes 68 EHR products reviewed in detail

    -   Product information covers average price, number of installs by
        practice size, years in the market, geographical sales area, and
        company size

    -   AAFP members use the Reviewer extensively in selecting vendors,
        arranging site visits, and for negotiating

-   

-   

-   [\*Searchable Family Physician EHR User Directory]{.underline} -- a
    Growing Database

    -   "Find a physician like me, in a practice like mine, who uses an
        EHR"

    -   Searchable by specific EHR product

    -   Searchable by location of practice

    -   Offers ability to contact EHR user for questions, site visits,
        etc.

    -   <http://www.centerforhit.org/mem/cgi-bin/findfriend.pl>

-   [\*The EHR/HIT Online Readiness Assessment Tool]{.underline}

    -   32 questions, web --based assessment for the practicing
        physician and his or her staff who are in the market for an EHR
        system

    -   Responses are algorithmically scored and linked to Center for
        HIT web site tutorials and other resources dealing with practice
        preparation, vendor selection, and EHR implementation

    -   May be used by single physician, or by groups, and has been
        utilized during live seminars and workshops

    -   <http://www.centerforhit.org/mem/cgi-bin/survey.pl?op=show_quiz&gid=1479>

-   [Online tutorials]{.underline} for each step of EHR adoption,
    including: practice preparation and redesign, EHR selection,
    implementation of EHRs in ambulatory practices, and
    maintenance/upgrade of systems and infrastructure

    -   EHR Tutorials: <http://www.centerforhit.org/x1073.xml>

    -   Hardware Tutorials: <http://www.centerforhit.org/x1076.xml>

    -   Networking Tutorials: <http://www.centerforhit.org/x1079.xml>

    -   Implementation Tutorials:
        <http://www.centerforhit.org/x1085.xml>

    -   **All tutorials are being converted to web-based CME modules
        during the first half 2006. These will be titled "The HIT Series
        for Physicians."**

-   Bibliography of EHR and health-IT articles from AAFP journals and
    News

    -   A resource including dozens of "how to" and experience-based
        articles and reviews on a wide range of HIT topics of vital
        interest to the practicing physician and his or her staff.

    -   <http://www.centerforhit.org/x574.xml>

-   

-   [EHR Master Quotation Guide]{.underline}

    -   This guide to comparing master quotations from three or more
        ambulatory care EHR vendors is the small practice's way to do an
        RFP, without the cost or hassle

    -   Developed in collaboration with the eHealth Initiative, 2005

    -   <http://www.centerforhit.org/x1391.xml>

-   [\*AAFP member EMR email discussion list]{.underline}

    -   \>900 physician members, many more users.

    -   A forum for members to discuss all aspects of Health-IT. The
        list is moderated by CHiT staff

    -   <http://www.centerforhit.org/x687.xml>

-   [Residency EMR email discussion list]{.underline}

    -   \>100 residency faculty and medical director members, many more
        users.

    -   A forum for residency faculty from any family practice residency
        to discuss health-IT issue specific to residency training

    -   <http://www.centerforhit.org/x1342.xml>

-   \* These resources are currently for AAFP members only. The AAFP is
    considering to the best manner for opening these resources to other
    medical society members in the future. (A guest password can be
    issued should non-members wish to evaluate these resources.)