Practical Strategies for Keeping EHR Templates Accurate
Doug Jorgensen
May 3, 2025
Introduction: A Template Is Only as Good as Its Last Update
Electronic Health Record (EHR) templates are a double-edged sword—they can streamline your workflow or introduce serious errors. The difference often comes down to one thing: how well they’re maintained.
Outdated or poorly designed templates can hurt compliance, patient care, and your legal defensibility.
Step 1: Make Template Accuracy a Priority
Many practices set up templates once and then never touch them again. This is a mistake.
Your templates should evolve alongside:
- Updated clinical guidelines
- Changes in payer requirements
- Regulatory shifts
- Practice workflow changes
Step 2: Assign Ownership
- Designate a Template Steward—a provider or compliance lead responsible for reviewing and updating templates regularly.
- Ensure changes go through a documented approval process so everyone uses the most current version.
Step 3: Review Templates at Least Quarterly
Ask:
- Does the language reflect current best practices?
- Are the default values accurate and safe?
- Do the prompts encourage complete and compliant documentation?
- Is there anything missing that should be captured for medical, legal, or billing purposes?
Step 4: Eliminate Compliance Risks
- Remove pre-checked boxes for findings that require clinical judgment.
- Replace vague language with specific, measurable terms.
- Ensure coding prompts match current CPT, ICD-10, and payer guidelines.
To ensure compliance and medical necessity, especially with varying payer preferences like Cigna, Aetna, or Anthem, it’s crucial to utilize coding prompts and specific language. This approach helps in creating records that align with the documentation requirements of each payer.
Step 5: Train Providers and Staff on Proper Use
- Emphasize that every field must be verified before signing the note.
- Show examples of template misuse that led to audit findings or denials.
- Teach how to blend template efficiency with patient-specific narrative.
Step 6: Use Feedback Loops
- Encourage providers to flag confusing or inaccurate template items.
- Review audit findings to identify patterns in template-related errors.
- Implement changes quickly when issues are discovered.
Designate a superuser to manage flagged errors. This individual will either correct errors directly within the office or act as a liaison to the EMR representative for system-level solutions.
Step 7: Balance Efficiency with Clinical Voice
- Keep templates lean—too many required clicks encourage shortcuts.
- Leave space for free-text to preserve your clinical reasoning and patient nuance.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating templates as “set it and forget it.”
- Overloading templates with unnecessary prompts.
- Relying solely on IT or vendors to maintain clinical accuracy.
- Using another facility’s templates without adapting them to your own workflows and regulations.
Final Thoughts: Templates Should Evolve, Not Stagnate
Your EHR templates are living tools. If they aren’t kept current, they stop being helpful and start being dangerous.
By taking ownership of their accuracy, you protect your patients, your practice, and yourself.
A well-maintained template doesn’t just make your job easier—it makes your documentation stronger, safer, and more defensible.
About the Author
Douglas J. Jorgensen, DO, CPC, FAAO, FACOFP
Dr. Doug is a physician, consultant, and national educator on EHR optimization, compliance, and documentation strategy. He helps practices design, maintain, and use templates that support both efficient workflow and bulletproof compliance.
