Industry Trends

Implementing EHRs a Top Concern, Say Physicians

Modern diagnosing

Modern diagnosing​Electronic health records (EHRs) are set to revolutionize the way healthcare is administered and records are accessed. Physicians the world over will eventually be able to retrieve any patient’s health record from anywhere, anytime, regardless where the patient was previously treated or by whom. Such a substantial overhaul in healthcare management has caused a new point of contention in healthcare management.

MD+DI shared the results of the 2014 Technology Survey, conducted by Physicians Practice, which showed digitized data is causing concern among some physicians.

As part of the survey, more than 1,400 physicians and medical practice staff were asked about their technology use and the issues experienced from implementing technologies into their practice. Nearly 17 percent of respondents expressed EHR adoption and implementation is their most pressing IT challenge. Next in the line of concerns, at nearly 16 percent, was lack of interoperability between EHRs.

While nearly half (47 percent) of those surveyed by Physicians Practice felt EHR implementation has led to improved practice workflow and productivity, more than half (56.5 percent) reported having not received a return on their EHR investment. Of those who have yet to purchase and implement an EHR program, MD+DI reports 26.2 percent stated the cost of doing so was their biggest impediment to EHR adoption.

Other areas of concern included meeting Meaningful Use requirements, IT/tech support, resistance to technology adoption by staff, and keeping up with HIPAA privacy regulation and security.

About the author

Amy Coelho

Amy Coehlo has more than 10 years of combined experience in the areas of journalistic and technical writing, public relations, brand management, marketing and communications.

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