HIPAA Tip: 2025 Safer Guides for EHRs
Understanding the 2025 SAFER Guides for Electronic Health Records
The Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP) with the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) released the 2025 SAFER Guides aiming to improve health systems’ adherence to Electronic Health Record (EHR) best practices. The 2025 SAFER Guides have been updated and streamlined to focus on the highest risk, most commonly occurring issues that can be addressed through technology, or practice changes to build system resilience.
- Released by ONC to improve EHR best practices and safety
- Updated to focus on highest risk, most common issues
- New: AI for clinical care, cybersecurity, FDA device data integration
- Three guide categories: Foundational, Infrastructure, Clinical Process
- Includes 21st Century CURES Act updates and software testing procedures
- Self-assessment tools to optimize EHR safety and safe use
What’s New in the 2025 SAFER Guides
Additionally, revisions related to the 21st Century CURES Act include the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for clinical care, cybersecurity and integration of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medical device data into EHRs, and software testing procedures.
The Three Categories of SAFER Guides
There are three Guides within the 2025 SAFER Guides for self-assessment:
Foundational Guides
High Priority Practices and Organizational Responsibilities
Infrastructure Guides
Contingency Planning and System Management
Clinical Process Guides
Patient Identification, Computerized Provider Order Entry with Decision Support, Test Results Reporting and Follow-Up, and Clinician Communication
The guides identify recommended practices to optimize the safety and safe use of EHRs.
Ongoing HIPAA Compliance Support
HIPAA compliance isn’t a one-time checklist. It’s ongoing, programmatic in nature, and requires demonstrated reasonable diligence to stay in good standing with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Anatomy IT can provide you peace of mind with our expert HIPAA compliance services. To learn more, contact us here.
