The most difficult aspect of an EHR replacement isn’t choosing the system, setting it up, cajoling staff members into embracing a new workflow, or figuring out where the “print” button is. The hardest part of the process is achieving a long term return on a major investment without any assurance that a positive financial status exists in the future. While former National Coordinators council patience and academic studies promise hope for cash-strapped providers, finding the ROI in your EHR is an individual effort that depends on how a practice comes together to leverage the technology to its fullest.
“From the patient’s perspective, this is a no-brainer,” said former ONC chief Dr. David Blumenthal in an interview with The Atlantic. “The benefits are substantial. But from the provider’s perspective, there are substantial costs in setting up and using the systems. Until now, providers haven’t recovered those costs, either in payment or in increased satisfaction, or in any other way.”
