Some physicians spend less time shopping for EHRs than when looking for a car or house, says Margret Amatayakul, a prominent health care information technology consultant, in a Huffington Post Investigative Report < http://huffpostfund.org/stories/2010/01/shopping-health-software-some-doctors-get-buyer’s-remorse>. So it’s no wonder that many physicians – who have little experience purchasing such sophisticated systems – are suffering from buyer’s remorse. Read more...

The long-awaited “meaningful use” guidelines delivered last month  – which includes use of standard formats for prescriptions and clinical summaries and the ability to exchange health data among providers – outlines how providers can qualify for incentives using electronic medical records. And on Jan. 13, the clock started ticking on a 60-day meaningful-use public comment period, during which the Health and Human Services Department invites providers, hospitals, and other stakeholders to express their views about the proposed rules. Federal officials said this feedback will be seriously considered as the regulations for Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are finalized.
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When it comes to Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), large medical groups have the resources and manpower to invest in information technology, and are able to benefit from cost savings, because they are often insurers as well as providers.

But these large groups are the exceptions rather than the rule in U.S. health care – three-fourths of the nation’s doctors practice in small offices with 10 doctors or fewer, for whom computerized patient records seem like an insurmountable cost and cumbersome implementation. Is it any surprise, then, that only about 17 percent of the nation’s physicians have made the leap to digitization?

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