Why EHRs Do Not Work For Doctors

When the concept of electronic health records (EHRs) were introduced a few yearsago, the reasoning was the idea of creating “meaningful use” for patients. With the adoption of EHRs, patients are given a chance to get involved in their own healthcare, using patient portals to schedule their own appointments and oversee their own lab work. In addition, EHRs are heralded as a method for keeping care between doctors more regimented and similar to provide the most equal treatment possible.

With all of these terrific benefits for patients, why are so many physicians and hospitals dragging their feet about implementing EHRs? While EHR vendors and government officials make it sound like healthcare professionals that do not use EHRs are hurting their patients and becoming ineffective, that is simply not the case. The truth of the matter is that while EHRs are more affordable and easily implemented by large healthcare providers, small hospitals and private practices just cannot undertake the burden of this massive overhaul of their records.

It is the small hospitals and small practices that make up the bulk of healthcare across the nation. These are the groups that are slow to begin using EHRs, and they have a number of reasons for their hesitation.