EHR Buyers Beware! What’s Really Behind Unhappy Physicians’ Dissatisfaction?
EHR Buyers Beware! What’s Really Behind Unhappy Physicians’ Dissatisfaction?
Recently, Emma Schwartz, Staff Reporter, Huffington Post I-Fund reported on the growing concern over the Federal ARRA funding going toward unvented, and seemingly unstable EHR software vendors. In her article, “Shopping for Health Software, Some Doctors Get Buyer’s Remorse”, the author also cites failed implementations and lack of vendor accountability among the complaints doctors share, post-EHR implementation. http://tinyurl.com/y9ezdbf.
It is abundantly clear that government intervention is needed as one of the first steps to mediate this growing concern in the EHR Software space. Certainly, the thought of ARRA funding going to a fly by night vendor leaves us all with a bad taste in our mouths. However, more must be done now to inform and educate the Primary Care Physician practice on the process of EHR software selection.
Nowhere in a physician’s studies is there a course on what to – and more importantly what not to do – when buying EHR software. It is understandable why – without the aid of a strong EHR consulting partner – it is easy to rely solely on the vendor’s claims. However, the small upfront investment of time and money spent on such “ombudsmen consulting services” will pay for itself within the first year of operations as the Primary Care Physicians practice gains an understanding and appreciation for of its true feature and work flow requirements, which vendors best serve its practice size and specialization, and most importantly, the disclosure of objective and unbiased facts regarding the EHR vendors performance and implementation pitfalls.
In the “Buyer’s Remorse” article, Ms. Schwartz reports on one practice whose EHR implementation costs totaled well over $400,000.00. Certainly if this practice knew of simple steps it could have taken prior to commencement of the implementation, it would have seized the opportunity. Government intervention will not solve this growing problem alone, – we need trusted consulting partnerships with those in the HIT market space that can step up now to assist the Primary Care Physician practice – partners like Vivo!
