Survey: Medical Group Managers Say Adopting EHRs Is a Top Concern

http://www.ihealthbeat.org

Physician practice managers said that selecting and deploying electronic health record systems is a top concern of those running group practices, according to a survey of members of the Medical Group Management Association, Healthcare IT News reports.

The selection and adoption of EHRs was cited as the third toughest challenge, behind maintaining compensation in an environment of declining reimbursement and dealing with rising operating costs.

MGMA asked 1,393 of its members to rate their level of challenge on 34 practice and professional issues (Monegain, Healthcare IT News, 7/9).

Thomas Ludwig — a MGMA member and clinical operations officer for Access Community Health Centers in Madison, Wis., — said adopting EHRs is “a very costly investment for a practice.”

Ludwig added that while an EHR could make the “efficient provider and staff more efficient,” the technology also can disrupt the flow of a medical practice and complicate situations for physicians who are not used to following the system’s templates (Robeznieks, Modern Healthcare, 7/9).

see original