Press Room
A DELICATE BALANCING ACT FOR EHR ADOPTION:
WHO BENEFITS VS. WHO FOOTS THE BILL?
MONTVALE, NJ – March 2, 2006 With public and private sector initiatives under way to promote physician adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), there is increased noise in the marketplace regarding who stands to benefit vs. who will pay for execution. Evan Steele, CEO of SRS Software, Inc., points to several issues, emphasizing that the growing burden on physician practices could sink widespread adoption.
“America is basically asking the physician community to stand up and fund EHRs so that everyone in this country – including the government – can benefit,” says Steele, founder of SRS, which is the developer and marketer of one of the most widely used document management systems for healthcare enterprises. “While many segments of the population regard the end results to be in the best interest of every citizen, it is untenable for physicians to dedicate the resources and change the way that they practice medicine to ensure nationwide implementation.”
Steele points to three significant issues with EHR adoption that confront physicians:
1. Data-Entry
Physicians are reticent to change their practice patterns and master the art of data-entry. They are accustomed to writing or dictating notes as they interact with patients and are unwilling to relinquish this important aspect of physician/patient relationships. Learning and adjusting to data-entry has been shown to slow doctors down by up to “15% for a year or more,” a factor which cuts into their shrinking bottom lines. (Source: Benchmark survey of 3,300 practices conducted by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) in collaboration with the University of Minnesota and funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; MGMA Connexion 10/05).
2. Cost
Average implementation costs of EHR are $32,606 per physician; maintenance costs per physician per month are $1,177; andcost overruns above vendor initial estimate are 24.8%. (Source: Same as above) For small to mid-size practices – which represent the vast majority of medical practices in the United States – this is unaffordable. Furthermore, all physicians are grappling with diminished reimbursements while coping with rising operating costs such as exponentially higher malpractice insurance rates, rent and cost-of-living salary adjustments for staff members.
3. Training
EHR implementation is highly complex and requires massive amounts of training time for physicians and their staff members to get up to speed. This factor, alone, slows down operations, taxes the enterprise and puts additional burdens on the physicians. It takes one year or longer before practices begin to see the return-on-investment, if any.
“There is consensus that an EHR is the Holy Grail and is a desirable goal for our healthcare system,” adds Steele. “The challenge remains: Who or what entities will provide the funding and take on the yoke of implementation? It appears that the gauntlet has been laid down before physicians.”
Further complicating the situation is the fact that 50% of all EHR installations fail, reported David Brailer, MD, PhD, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology of the Department of Health and Human Services (Source: MGMA Connexion 1/05).
.
Steele says that a document management system, such as the one from SRS, satisfies the need for medical enterprises to digitize patient charts and prepare for EHR adoption. He concludes that while physicians are ultimately going to pay for EHRs, they will not be reaping a lion’s share of the benefits.
“Physicians aspire to spend more time with patients, listen to them and respond quickly to their needs. They want instant access to information as they strive for better patient care and improved patient satisfaction. Down the road, an EHR may deliver on these items. But until the marketplace comes up with a more seamless and faster way for doctors to enter exams on computers, productivity-enhancing solutions like those offered by SRS will be widely deployed throughout the industry."
About SRS Software, Inc.
SRS Freedom Chart Manager™ is a proven document management solution for healthcare enterprises. SRS automatically converts charts into a new paperless environment, rapidly cuts costs and immediately improves workflow without high cost or complexity. With an unprecedented 100% successful installation and utilization rate for six consecutive years, SRS serves thousands of physicians in over 30 medical specialties nationwide. Independently documented as requiring less than 20 minutes to train a physician, SRS enables physicians to document visits in the traditional manner and maintain their customary patient flow. SRS Freedom Chart Manager™ is easy to learn, easy to use and easy to afford at a fraction of the cost, training time and learning curve required by traditional EHRs.
| |
