Despite significant investment and daily use, most provider organizations still tap into only a narrow slice of what their electronic health records (EHRs) can do. Beyond documentation and order entry, many underused capabilities could meaningfully impact patient identification, early intervention, and care coordination.

Simple but powerful tools—such as customized reports that identify patients due for screening, dashboards that track gaps in care, embedded clinical decision support (CDS) prompts that flag potential therapy candidates, and in-system calculators that assess eligibility for testing or disease severity—often sit dormant or unconfigured. These functions don’t just have the potential to improve efficiency; when configured effectively, they can become the foundation for broader digital health programs or early testing initiatives that health systems are eager to advance but often struggle to operationalize.

For life sciences organizations, this gap represents both a challenge and an opportunity. When providers aren’t using EHR tools to their fullest potential, patients who could benefit from timely therapy or preventive care may be missed. Helping health systems activate and optimize these tools not only supports better care but also builds trust, drives earlier treatment starts, and strengthens long-term partnerships grounded in shared outcomes.

That’s where EHR Guides come in. These guides provide the rationale for making changes to the EHR, background on the changes that could be considered, and EHR-specific, step-by-step instructions for configuring the system to enable tools such as dashboards, calculators, or reports. The parameters within those tools can then be tailored to a particular disease state or therapy area based on best practice and science-based criteria. By translating technical EHR configuration steps into clear, practical guidance, life sciences organizations can make it easier for providers and IT teams to operationalize early testing programs or digital health initiatives they’ve long wanted to implement but lacked the bandwidth to pursue.

Why EHR Guides Work in the Real World

What makes EHR Guides effective is that they don’t just tell—they show. They reduce the friction that often prevents providers from acting by breaking complex IT changes into manageable, meaningful steps.

The result is twofold:

• Providers experience real workflow improvements and see tangible patient benefits.
• Life sciences teams demonstrate a deep understanding of clinical operations and an ability to deliver value beyond the test, vaccine, or treatment.

Even more importantly, when those outcomes are documented and shared through internal success stories, peer discussions, or published case studies for other customers to review, they create momentum for organizational change. Success inspires replication. Health systems that see credible, data-backed examples of EHR optimization in action are more likely to invest the time and effort required to do the same.

Don’t Forget the Metrics – Building in Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Every effective EHR Resource Guide should help providers not just configure tools but also measure their impact. Tracking performance indicators turns anecdotal value into quantifiable evidence—fuel for both clinical improvement and future storytelling.

Potential metrics might include:

• Number of patients identified for screening or follow-up.
• Average time from identification to therapy initiation.
• Adherence or persistence rates over time.

When metrics are baked in from the start, providers can more easily demonstrate value to leadership and justify continued investment in optimization. For life sciences organizations, this data also lays the groundwork for de-identified case studies that showcase real-world impact—key content for expanding adoption and credibility.

The Win for Life Sciences Organizations

By helping providers realize the full potential of their EHRs, life sciences companies can:

• Drive earlier diagnosis and therapy starts through better patient identification.
• Support the adoption of digital health tools that complement therapies.
• Build evidence of real-world impact, strengthening relationships with health systems and stakeholders.
• Differentiate the brand through a commitment to solving real clinical challenges, not just promoting a product.

The result is a partnership dynamic—where providers see value, patients benefit, and brands achieve measurable, mission-aligned impact.

Looking Ahead: From Guidance to Storytelling

Helping providers set up EHR tools is only step one. The next stage is showing what those tools achieve in practice. Be on the lookout for the follow-up blog, where we’ll explore how life sciences organizations can collaborate with providers to transform KPI data into compelling case studies that not only expand adoption but also demonstrate real-world innovation and care improvement.

Takeaway

EHR Resource Guides do more than educate—they empower. By showing providers what’s possible, helping them measure success, and sharing those wins broadly, life sciences organizations can catalyze a cycle of continuous improvement. As health systems seek new ways to enhance care delivery, these guides—and the success stories they enable—can serve as a foundation for meaningful engagement and measurable progress.

If you’d like to see examples of the EHR Resource Guides we’ve created and how they’ve been used, contact me. I’m also happy to discuss your needs and help brainstorm which EHR functionalities could best support your brand’s overarching goals.