The sixth level of electronic health records: a look beyond the screen.

A recent publication details five levels of electronic health records as defined by the Medical Records Institute and notes that no computer-based patient record system from any company meets the criteria set by the Institute of Medicine. The present article calls to the attention of potential purchasers of medical record software our observation that even if a package appears to meet the abstract criteria for all five levels of electronic health records, its performance may not be satisfactory. A look beyond the user interface screen is highly recommended. Examples from our recent experience are given.