Tricentis Exec Says Automated Testing Could Ensure EHR Quality During Modernization

Ben Baldi, senior vice president of global public sector at Tricentis, has warned that investments in modernizing electronic health record platforms at university-affiliated medical systems are leading to physician burnout and negative patient outcomes.

In an article posted on Healthcare IT Today, the executive discussed how automated software testing could ensure quality and reliability during EHR modernization efforts.

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EHR Challenges

In the article, Baldi cited a study published on the JAMA Network that found that 70 percent of physicians encounter poor EHR usability and workflow disruptions, leading to burnout. Nurses, too, identify EHR design flaws that lead to data entry errors, alert fatigue and automation failures, all of which may harm patients.

Baldi also pointed to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ attempt to implement EHR across 1,255 facilities. The initiative encountered several problems, such as incomplete records and pharmacy order failures.

According to the Government Accountability Office, problems in VA’s EHR rollout were caused by inadequate testing and weak end-user validation.

Why Automated Testing

Modern EHRs are complex and require frequent testing to maintain reliability as they undergo updates and enhancements. Although organizations can manually test their systems, the process can be slow and inconsistent and it creates additional tasks for staff members.

Tricentis’ 2025 Quality Transformation Report found that over 72 percent of public sector technology leaders delayed critical software releases because of insufficient test coverage.

Automation creates a scalable and repeatable process for validating software performance, data integrity and other measures across clinical, research and administrative workflows. According to Baldi, automating testing can reduce workforce burdens and discover issues earlier while improving system performance.