September 10, 2013
This year, many surveys have reported that practices are dumping their current EHRs in favor of EHRs that are more usable. A new Black Book survey sheds light on another factor affecting what some are calling “The Great EHR Switch”: the cloud.
With all the regulatory changes facing healthcare—accountable care organizations, meaningful use, ICD-10, Medicare/Medicaid changes—practices must upgrade their software if they intend to avoid penalties and see some of the benefits the industry has been touting about health information technology. According to Black Book Rankings, 87 percent of practices polled agreed that their billing and collection systems need upgrades. Of those considering a PM/revenue cycle management system upgrade, 92 percent are only considering systems that integrate seamlessly with EHR.
For many, this leaves one option: convert to the cloud. Cloud-based software doesn’t require an in-house server or expensive hardware, and it is paid for on a monthly basis rather than all at once. Aside from cost, though, cloud-based software integrates much more seamlessly with other software used throughout a practice than software built on a client/server model.
In fact, 96 percent of practices that achieved meaningful use stage 1 attestation and/or that were highly satisfied with EHR vendor performance agreed that “fully integrated practice management/revenue cycle management systems equipped with EHR software is the key to ensuring practice survival and even independence from hospital or large group acquisition.”
So, in addition to seeking an EHR that is user friendly, practices are also looking for software that integrates with PM/RCM software. With deadlines for ICD-10 and meaningful use inching ever closer, many practices feel that now is the right time to make the necessary changes to ensure that they will remain profitable in the future. There’s been a significant uptick in cloud-based EHR purchases among practices in recent years, but that trend is accelerating even more because of financial pressures practices are facing.
ChartLogic is among the top 20 vendors that practices—looking for the complete package of usability and cloud integration—are switching to.