EHR - Gain From Pain

The disadvantages and advantages of the application

When it comes to the implementation of EHR, many people wonder why has not taken off. The technology is there, but awareness is still not where it should be.

EHR gives physicians some incredible benefits, especially when it comes to coordinating patient care. Think about this for a moment today, many patients have a joint team of doctors. There may be a primary care physician, a cardiologist, an oncologist, a nephrologist, a rheumatologist and treating all the same person.

It is likely that the medical records of this patient are scattered in half a dozen offices. These doctors and hospitals rarely communicate with each other on the patient, increasing the likelihood of errors and duplicate testing and unnecessary or conflicting requirements.

HME application eliminates the risk to the patient and offer a wide range of other benefits. Yes, the application can be challenging, but the end result is worth it.

Let's look at the challenges and opportunities in implementing EHR Software.

Challenges
By far the biggest barrier to EHR implementation is cost. The conference Pan American Health Information Management Association in October 2006, the panel estimated that the average cost of acquisition and installation of an EHR system would cost more than $ 32,000 per physician. System maintenance cost $ 1,500 per physician, per year. That is an important value for any facility, much less the smaller clinics.

Other studies have put the cost much lower, from $ 10,000 to $ 15,000 per physician.

The good news is that thanks to the Health Information Technology (HIT) Extension Program of Recovery and Reinvestment Act, over $ 19 billion have been withdrawn from the incentives and investment in EHR implementation.

Another drawback is the learning curve with EMR. Most doctors see a drop in productivity in the first six months after full implementation, and estimates of NY E-Health that the fall in productivity will cost about $ 11,000 per doctor during the first year. There are several reasons for the decline in productivity.

First, doctors and support staff have to learn the system. This requires training and time. If the new EHR system is not easy to use and does not take into account the needs of clinicians and the data they need every day to make decisions, then the learning curve will be even greater.

There is also a good chance that, at first, the system will not work correctly 100% of the time. The errors in the application or use can result in a frozen or delayed, which can cost minutes or hours of patient care.

Another major drawback for the implementation of EMR Software is the lack of privacy for patients. According to some experts, 150 people or more could have access to records of a patient. This accessibility could lead to vital information such as statistics of the family and billing information system, or errors due to the large number of staff involved in entering information.