More than 330,000 physicians have received an incentive payment from CMS for the adoption or use of electronic health records. However, the majority of physicians feel the incentives weren't worth the frustrations and inefficiencies caused by EHRs, according to a new study in Medical Economics.
In the study, a national survey of 967 physicians found the following:
- 45 percent believe patient care has suffered as a result of EHR adoption
- 43 percent say their EHR has resulted in significant financial losses
- 69 percent of physicians report care coordination with hospitals has not improved
- 79 percent say their EHR investment was not worth the effort, resources and/or cost
"We used to see 32 patients a day with one tech[nician], and now we struggle to see 24 patients a day with four tech[nicians]. And we provide worse care," said one survey respondent in the study.
Art Kellermann, MD, the study's senior author and the Paul O’Neill Alcoa Chair in Policy Analysis at RAND, says the technology on the market and in offices now may be mostly to blame for persistent physician complaints about EHRs.
"The failure of health IT to quickly deliver on its promise is not caused by its lack of potential, but rather because of the shortcomings in the design of the IT systems that are currently in place," he says.
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