Utah-based health IT researcher KLAS Enterprises conducted interviews with 370 ambulatory-care physicians or practice leaders who plan to purchase an EHR for the first time or replace their existing EHR system in the next couple of years. What KLAS researchers found surprising was the number of practices interested in EHRs delivered as âsoftware as a service,â said Mark Wagner, lead author of the “Ambulatory EMR Buying: A Roller Coaster Ride in 2010” report.
One of the reasons why more are planning to implement EHRs is people’s understanding of the 2011 deadline to have an EHR system in time to make the first âpayment yearâ beginning Oct. 1 for the EHR subsidy program, Wagner said to Modern Healthcare.
Nearly a third of providers in the survey said they were replacing their existing EHRs; half of them reportedly because âtheir current solutions are not viable go-forward strategies in today’s ARRA-focused healthcare environment,â KLAS reported.
Those stating to be replacing their existing EHRs, 62 percent are replacing systems that are or were certified by the federally supported Certification Commission for Health Information Technology.