Introduction
In this whitepaper, we’ll examine the challenges that small medical practices often face in transitioning from paper charts to EHR systems. With 90% of doctors in the US still using paper today, there are obviously technology and workflow hurdles often faced in the sector. We will also review tips and resources available to help make the adoption process smoother in your own office.
Challenges Practices Face in Setting Up EHRs
Doctors across the country are faced with the challenge of transitioning their practice from paper to Electronic Health Records as part of the government’s push for healthcare to go to digital. Easy feat? Hardly. Due to concerns over cost, time spent implementing and workflow changes, only 10 percent of US doctors are on a fully functional EHR today – a full decade after this technology has been made available to the healthcare sector.
Historically, legacy EHR vendors have been prohibitively expensive for most private practice doctors. A 2005 Health Affairs Journal report estimated the average cost of an EHR system to be $44,000 the first year and $8,500 each additional year per physician. In addition, those client-server-based systems required weeks of installation and training, cutting time away from patients and the practice’s revenue.