40% Of Existing EHR Systems Are Being Replaced

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Of those providers looking to buy an EHR system this year, 40 percent are replacing their current system.

Of the providers surveyed by EHR reviewer Software Advice, 40 percent say they are shopping for an electronic record system to replace their current software. Becker’s Hospital Review reports the percent of prospective buyers looking for a replacement EHR has grown 30 percent since the first quarter of 2013.

Of those providers who are trying to replace their current EHR systems, “The most common reasons for doing so are that their current solution is too cumbersome (too slow, requires too many click-throughs, etc.), and/or that they need integration between applications (for example, wanting the EHR to integrate with billing or scheduling functions).” The most requested features included:

• mobile support
• e-Prescribing
• lab integration
• meaningful use certification

Thirty-nine percent of those surveyed explicitly stated the desire for systems that would allow them access from tablets or smartphones.

When it comes to first time buyers, the report explains, “Buyers purchasing an EHR system for the first time were primarily concerned with improving their practices’ organization and efficiency, with many mentions of wanting to ‘streamline’ operations.

“In close second place was the desire to comply with government regulations - again, this is mostly related to meaningful use. A minority of responses in the compliance category also referenced needing software that would help them comply with HIPAA regulations and/or assist with Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) reporting. Another major factor for first-time buyers was the general desire to go electronic. This included references to the practical need to reduce or eliminate paper (there were several references to ‘mountains of paperwork’), as well as the higher-level desire to ‘join the 21st century’ or modernize the practice.”