We may have been a little behind the curve when we did our first wave of EMR articles back in 2004. But we've (sometimes grudgingly) covered the topic of electronic medical records fairly regularly since then, always with the customary admonition: You better start thinking about this. You really need to think about this. Now is the time to think about this!
In the intervening years, George Bush got involved, EMRs have morphed into EHRs, and apparently, a pretty good number of you have actually given some thought (but not much more) to the topic: The percentage of ophthalmic practices that have fully converted to EHR hovers in the 6 to 10 percent range, say the experts.
Those numbers may finally be starting to rise. Nearly 60 percent of non-EHR-using physicians plan to implement a system within two years. The principal reason: the government—61 percent of those with such plans cite the threat of federal penalties and 51 percent cite federal incentives.1
On the theory that, like a colonoscopy, implementing an EHR is much more palatable once its done than it looked on the To Do list, we spent some time this month with people who have successfully switched to electronic records, with an eye toward the unexpected lessons they learned from the experience. Let their pain be your gain, starting on p. 22.
Some things that did not come directly from the research for the cover story that may be useful to you nevertheless as you ponder the task ahead:
• Three key factors in successful implementation include identification and commitment to long-term goals for EHR; dedicated resources, in-cluding both physician and nonphysician champions to lead the design and implementation teams; and ample patience and time allotted to achieve the desired results.2
• 90 percent of current EHR users believe their system brought value to the practice and changed the way it works for the better.1
• EHR users in one survey were nearly twice as likely to be satisfied with their overall medical practice.3
1. Wave of
2. Electronic medical records: A practitioner's perspective on evaluation and implementation. Chest. 2010 Sep;138(3):716-23.
3. The role of information technology usage in physician practice satisfaction. Health Care Manage Rev. 2009 Oct-Dec;34(4):364-71.
