EMR Trends

Summary

Traditionally, larger EMR vendors were thought to have advantages over smaller providers
For smaller practices, a smaller EMR vendor may be more attractive because of price and infrastructure
There should be a large push in 2010 for small practices to adopt EMR's because of the government incentives available in 2011

Analysis
The conventional belief in electronic medical records (EMR) has always been that the bigger the better. The idea was that larger providers of EMR's, such as GE Healthcare or Allscripts, offered stability to reassure physicians that their EMR service was going to being secure for many years. In addition, by choosing a larger provider, physicians may reap the benefits of being part of a larger market share where compatibility with other providers may be made easier.

However, for several reasons, the marketplace has begun to shift its attention towards smaller EMR providers. The larger vendors had initially targeted large institutions such as hospital networks. As a result, their infrastructure and pricing tends to neglect the small practice, which has been the slowest adopter of EMR's.

In 2011, government incentives will begin for practices who are using EMR's. Therefore, look for 2010 to be a buyer's market as practices begin to adopt EMR's, and in all likelihood, this will be a boon for smaller EMR vendors.

GLG Healthcare Council
Money.CNN.Com March 2010

Stimulus Fuels Push for Electronic Medical Records

Under the stimulus law, medical offices that buy or update electronic systems can receive up to $44,000 in bonus Medicare payments per doctor over five years, starting in 2011. They can get the money regardless of how much they pay for the unit. Hospitals are eligible for a $2 million bonus payment in the first year, millions more later on.


Congress jolted the market by rewarding doctors and hospitals that jump on board quickly and penalizing those who resist. The faster they get up and running, the more money they can get. On the flip side, Medicare plans to cut payments to those who fail to get wired up by 2015.

"The law is very well crafted," said John D. Halamka of Harvard Medical School, who is vice-chairman of a government advisory panel on health technology standards.

Halamka's advice to doctors and hospitals? Start shopping.

Federal Computer Week Jan. 2010

Cutting through the Confusion: Beware of Vendors Bearing Promises

Cutting through the Confusion: Beware of Vendors Bearing Promises
In order to qualify for stimulus funds, the onus is ultimately on a doctor to demonstrate 'meaningful use' of a certified EMR solution. The problem, Hollis says, is that the federal government has yet to specify the software certification standard that will be used and has not yet finalized specifics on the exact requirements for doctors to achieve meaningful use. The ONC has never stated that any prior or current certification by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) will qualify an EHR system in advance or in lieu of the upcoming certification standard.

          ChiroEco.com March 23, 2010

Stimulus and EMR.

We found this article to be right on the money on the adoption of EMR. More here.

Federal stimulus money and the promise of incentive payments are pushing health care providers toward digital information. Just as moving from ledgers to computers changed banking, going to electronic medical records is expected to change health care, proponents say. Beginning next year, health care providers can recoup some of their costs from incentives that were part of the stimulus package.

Those making "meaningful use" of electronic records are eligible for as much as $18,000 in fiscal 2011, and lesser amounts in the four years following, to an estimated total of $40,000 or more. Hospitals can get more than $2 million a year for four years.  Proponents say the benefits are as enticing as the funds. Record-keeping will become more efficient. Tests and X-rays won't need to be repeated, and staff time won't have to be spent pulling or filing paper charts. Information will be mined in ways that can improve health care, by showing which treatments are most effective, for example. And mistakes can be reduced, such as those that can come from misinterpreted handwriting.

SunHerald.com March 2010