Still not paperless? 3 drivers boosting EHR adoption

EHR adoption among hospitals and practice-based physicians is on the rise, but not all providers have switched to paperless records.

According to the latest ONC data, approximately 83 percent of office-based physicians have adopted or are in the process of implementing EHRs, and nearly 97 percent of all hospitals have a certified EHR. For those still putting pen to paper, Niam Yaraghi, PhD, a fellow in the Brookings Institution's Center for Technology Innovation, offers the following three drivers that may propel EHR adoption.

In a blog entry for U.S. News & World Report, Dr. Yaraghi writes the economy and market forces will continue to incentivize EHR adoption, even in the absence of government funding.

First, he says EHR vendors will likely refocus their marketing efforts toward smaller providers, which tend to be the ones who have yet to adopt EHRs. Historically, vendors targeted larger customers like big healthcare organizations who were likely to make big purchases. "Now that the low-hanging fruits are all harvested, vendors will focus their marketing efforts on small, office-based practices and will ultimately increase adoption rates," Dr. Yaraghi writes.

Secondly, mergers and acquisitions will force smaller practices to adopt the technologies of the acquiring organizations. "While EHRs may not create substantial value for an independent practice, they will be an unavoidable necessity when small practices join larger organizations," Dr. Yaraghi writes. "Without them, it will be impossible for a large healthcare organization to coordinate patient care, manage population risks and efficiently submit insurance claims."

Finally, data analytics tools are entering their prime, according to Dr. Yaraghi. The basic functions and data collection capabilities of EHRs are well-established, but aren't enough to meet all clinical and analytic needs. With the development of high-level analytics tools and artificial intelligence, providers can gain meaningful insight. And, these tools are increasingly being implemented into EHRs. "When doctors see tangible benefits of analytics tools such as Isabel and Watson that are based on their EHR data, they will flock to such systems powered by analytics tools," he writes.

More articles on EHRs:

WEDI's Devin Jopp: Health automation is forward thinking but backwards moving
87% of medical students support the establishment of a universal patient record
The EHR market: 13 latest news updates

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