Even after the incentives announced by the Obama administration, the adoption rate of Electronic Medical Records has remained incredibly sluggish. According to the research conducted by few well-known industry specialists, there are two majors reason for these staggering results. First, due to lack of IT savvy, physicians are hesitant in adopting this new health IT solutions. Second, both upfront and ongoing costs make it difficult for physicians to embrace EMR technology. Due to the aforementioned reasons, many EMR Vendors have started offering Free EMR solutions to physicians, hoping that by doing so; they will be able to convince all the physicians to adopt this system and mint money.
However, the problems associated with the low adoption rate of Electronic Medical Records are much more intense and deep than they think. From a physician’s perspective, these Free EMRs are not viable enough to be adopted. According to them, in the healthcare industry, there are thousands of practices which are operating in their own unique way. Logically speaking, it doesn’t make sense to believe that such free one-size-fit-all solutions will be able to accommodate the distinctive needs of different practices. Additionally, one must know what free really is? Free EMR means that the software is free but not the essential services like training, installation, and ongoing support. Due to this reason, physicians have started taking promotion of Free EMR as a selling gimmick for boosting sales. Such solutions have failed in the past and will most likely continue to fail.
“No EMR is 100% free if it fails. The overall cost incurred due to the failed implementation would be much more than the cost of purchasing an EMR itself. Failures can result in productivity losses, implementation costs, and training cost. Therefore, it would be nothing but wise to opt for a Certified EMR as its benefits outweighs the cost associated with it”, says a leading physician from Florida.
This growing debate and concern have increased the popularity of specialty centric Certified EMRs. These EMRs facilitate clinical documentations and ensure its secure transferability and access for specialty practice. With the help of these Certified EMRs, physicians can improve care quality, practice performance, and overall patient experience. Such user friendly Certified EMR systems have won the hearts of physicians and made their practice hassle-free and cost effective.
