Fifty Percent of Providers Looking to Replace Their EHR

When federal incentive programs for meaningful use were first announced, healthcare professionals rushed to adopt certified EHR technology. Most organizations, however, focused on finding a system that would allow them to attest to meaningful use stage 1, without necessarily considering how the EHR would meet their caregivers’ charting needs. Now, according to a July KLAS report, 50 percent of providers – many of them on their second or third EHR – are looking to replace their current system.

Most providers adopting an EHR for the first time don’t really know what to expect or what questions to ask. However, healthcare professionals with EHR experience under their belt now know what they want. After working with a digital charting solution, providers are able to figure out what works and what doesn’t, as well as what functions and capabilities their organization really needs.

Plus, with so many products available on the market, EHR project management experts can afford to be picky. This means that organizations disappointed by their vendors’ less-than-stellar customer service, faulty software solutions and high costs are starting to shop around. “Some providers are changing vendors simply because their whole organization is moving onto one platform,” said Mark Wagner, KLAS’ senior director of clinical and ambulatory research. “But the real sad story is the providers who are changing vendors because they can’t get the support they need or the functionality they expected.”

This is especially the case with larger vendors who might prioritize meaningful use criteria over customer service, whereas many newer, smaller vendors are promoting quicker response times to meet the needs of small practices. In addition, many small vendors offer cloud-based software systems with low implementation costs. Perhaps for reasons such as these, 60 percent of EHR shoppers have reported considering a small vendor instead of one of the leading EHR giants.

Whatever the reason for so many providers looking for a new EHR, software vendors should take note: healthcare professionals and EHR project management consultants need software solutions that can adapt to providers’ workflows and not the other way around.