The following is a guest article by Ben Baldi, Senior Vice President, Global Public Sector at Tricentis

Since 2020, university-affiliated medical systems have prioritized modernizing electronic health records (EHRs)—a shift accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for real-time data sharing, collaborative research, and flexible care delivery. Today, these institutions are focused on strengthening their EHR investments to serve patient care, research, and education more effectively while reducing digital burdens put on clinicians.

Yet, over 70% of physicians at academic hospitals report burnout due to EHR use, with poor usability and workflow disruption driving the issue. Nurses have also flagged EHR design flaws as potential sources of patient harm resulting from problems like data entry errors, alert fatigue, and automation failures. Another study directly linked EHR usability issues with potential negative patient outcomes, resulting in either temporary or permanent harm.

As data demands grow and funding pressures rise, university health systems are seeking smarter, more effective ways to improve systems while minimizing risk or cost. One often-overlooked approach is incorporating automated software testing to support quality and reliability during modernization efforts.

As data demands increase and budgets tighten, university health systems are seeking smarter, more efficient ways to improve systems while minimizing risk and cost. One often-overlooked approach is incorporating automated software testing to support quality and reliability during modernization efforts.

Lessons from the VA: The Importance of Automated Software Testing 

The Department of Veterans Affairs launched one of the world’s largest EHR rollouts, serving 9 million veterans across 1,255 facilities. Early issues like incomplete records and pharmacy order failures arose and independent reviews pointed to two culprits: inadequate testing and weak end-user validation. Poorly tested systems can introduce errors, disrupt workflows, and exacerbate clinician burnout. This is where rigorous testing, especially when automated, becomes a powerful tool: not as a silver bullet, but as a scalable, proactive way to ensure EHRs function reliably, safely, and efficiently as they evolve.

A Distinct Burden for Academic Medical Centers

While the VA’s experience offers a national-scale lesson in aligning technology with real-world clinical needs, university hospitals face a unique set of challenges. Their EHR systems must support clinical workflows, research data capture, student training, and compliance with rigorous data privacy and grant-funding requirements. What sets these organizations apart from other hospitals is the scale and complexity of the data they manage: They care for patients today while managing research that could shape the medicine of tomorrow.

A misstep during an EHR transition—such as lost, corrupted, or improperly mapped data—can jeopardize patient care, research credibility, and funding eligibility. Compounding the challenge, academic systems often lack the headcount or financial cushion that large private networks can draw upon during multi-year overhauls. That’s where automation can provide useful support—not as a cure-all, but as a practical aid.

Why Automation Matters

Modern EHR platforms are complex, fast-evolving systems, and automated software testing is essential to ensure these systems remain reliable as they undergo frequent updates and enhancements. Manual testing often becomes a bottleneck at academic centers; it’s too slow, inconsistent, and dependent on overextended staff. In fact, Tricentis’ 2025 Quality Transformation Report revealed that more than 72% of public sector technology leaders say they’ve delayed critical software releases due to a lack of confidence in test coverage—delays that can negatively impact patient care, research, and operational readiness. Traditional approaches can’t keep pace as expectations rise, and resources are constrained.

Automated testing introduces scalable, repeatable methods to validate changes across clinical, research, and administrative workflows without increasing workload. Key benefits include:

• Impact Testing: Focuses on the riskiest changes, reducing testing volume while maintaining meaningful coverage
• Functional Testing: Ensures updates don’t disrupt essential workflows like documentation or scheduling, and that new releases maintain stability
• Performance Testing: Simulates heavy usage to confirm system resilience during busy periods, such as new academic cycles or peak flu seasons
• Data Integrity Testing: Safeguards the migration and integration of patient and research data, essential for care continuity and long-term studies

Automated testing can play a meaningful role in reducing manual burdens, identifying issues earlier, and supporting more reliable system performance.

A Disciplined, People-Centered Path Forward

Academic medical centers don’t need to modernize overnight. But success demands clarity of purpose and disciplined execution. Automated testing offers a helpful framework for advancing modernization efforts while maximizing limited resources.

The institutions that thrive in modernization efforts will be those that treat EHRs as infrastructure for their broader mission. When used early and strategically, automated testing can help align speed with safety—but it works best alongside strong governance, training, and communication.

With reliable systems and supported teams, progress becomes not just possible but sustainable. That’s a future where university hospitals can thrive, advancing care, research, and education with confidence.

About Ben Baldi

Ben Baldi is Senior Vice President of Global Public Sector at Tricentis. Ben has spent more than 15 years delivering solutions to federal and state government agencies to help them achieve their mission through IT modernization. He currently leads Tricentis’s public sector team, working closely with DOD, civilian, and SLED agency customers to provide automated low code software testing. Learn more at tricentis.com/solutions/public-sector.