All GLG News Analyses Filed Under: Business of Medicine

Electronic medical records (EMR) have been shown to enable physicians and other healthcare professionals to provide higher quality and more efficient healthcare.  The problem is getting EMR systems implemented in healthcare facilities across the country.  Given the declining reimbursements...

This article hits the mark on the financial aspect of EHR adoption. The other challenge is realizing the value of electronic over traditional paper in bridging the gap of the techno phobia that inhibits adoption.

Difficulties in introduction of electronic records in clinical practice, in my mind, are due to the following. First, there is no improvement in quality of care and/or there is no financial benefit for majority of practices. Second, high cost of support, rather than purchase. Third, implementation...

Third party payers benefit the most from EHRs because it makes charts easier to audit   The cost of implementing an EHR is excessive for a small practice of 2-5 physicians.

Health care providers are continuing to enhance their front-end processes and tools that will help them to better identify and address patients’ out-of-pocket responsibilities in a timely manner. These include continued advancements in their insurance verification processes and their ability to...

This article (and the NEJM article) restate what is known to those who have used a wide variety of EMR software packages: poor UI, outrageously expensive support contracts and the general reluctance of older physicians to embrace PC-based technologies. There is nothing intuitive about using a computer...

EMR or EHR ie., Electronic Medical Records or Health Records does warrant and expect from medical professional an astute techno-savvy partcularly in computers the writing skills of medical records with an ardent training of the secretaries normaly called the fifedom. EMR is an excellent way of racing...

Electronic Health Records (EHR) are like a marriage, but are difficult to implement.  They are expensive, time-consuming and require a paradigm shift from ALL employees of the practice.  Half of all attempts fail; similar to getting married.  They do save costs of transcription and filing/pulling...

While all can agree that universal use of EMR/EHR would be beneficial, the cost burden of implementing these systems generally rests with the physician, who will generally see the least benefit (as opposed to insurance companies, Medicare, patients, etc.)

Misaligned economic incentives are mostly responsible for the low rates of adoption of EHRs.  Physician resistance to change is much less a force than the simple fact that it costs time and money to convert a practice to an EHR, and the financial benefits of an EHR do not accrue to the physici...