Are EHR Installations Derailing Hospital Finances?

Matt Mattox | Axial Exchange | July 23, 2013

It is an open secret that large EHR installations can cost health systems over $100 million to license and implement. A ticket that large is a material investment for any company on the planet. For a hospital it can be enough to put the bottom line in the red.

Cautionary Tales

A recent Forbes article challenged the old maxim that "you can't get fired for buying Epic"

Here are some cautionary tales:

  • Maine Medical Center of Portland indicated that its operating loss was partly due to its $160 million Epic installation. Around the same time, Barry Blumenfeld, the system's Chief Information Officer, "vacated his post".