Practices Looking to Replace EHR Systems Increasing

Physicians have been mostly unhappy with their electronic health record (EHR) systems and a growing number are looking to replace their existing system.

According to a report from Software Advice, the number of buyers looking to replace existing software has climbed from just 19% in 2010 to 30% in 2013 and now 40% in the first quarter of 2014.

Similar to an earlier report from SK&A, Software Advice’s survey found that the majority (56%) of buyers came from solo practices. Very few came from practices with more than 25 physicians.

Of the respondents, 14% were opening a new practice and were looking to implement an EHR from the beginning and 2% were replacing software not specifically designed for medical charting.

The most common reason for looking to replace an existing EHR system was that the current solution was too cumbersome, followed closely by seeking integration between applications, and complying with regulations. The majority (89%) were interested in EHR software that could integrate with billing and/or patient scheduling applications.

Although the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs are not technically regulatory (there is no law on the books requiring EHR use) many physicians consider them to be regulatory in nature, according to Software Advice.

While first-time EHR buyers also wanted to comply with government regulations, the primary concern was improving their practices’ organization and efficiency.

“Most of the buyers we spoke to had a fairly tight timeline for implementing the EHR solution they were looking for,” the report’s authors wrote. “Nearly a quarter of the buyers in our sample wanted to get a new system in place as quickly as within the month.”