Features of electronic health records necessary for the delivery of optimized anticoagulant therapy: consensus of the EHR Task Force of the New York State Anticoagulation Coalition.

Background: Oral anticoagulants are prescribed to millions of Americans, and consequently are among the medications most likely to contribute to emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Although guidelines and consensus statements promote systematic approaches to therapy, anticoagulation (AC) management is often suboptimal. Electronic health records (EHRs) have the potential to improve safety and quality but have not yet incorporated specialized features necessary to optimize therapy.