9 Ways Future EHRs Need to Support ACOs

Just a few years ago, the industry saw most vendors touting their support for meaningful use. Today, that focus is slowly shifting to the "ready for ACO" mentality. But unlike meaningful use, said Shahid Shah, software analyst and author of the blog, The Health IT Guy, the technology required for ACOs isn't as well defined, leaving most vendors' claims "untestable."

"Don’t be fooled into buying health IT applications that promote an 'ACO in a box' solution," said Shah. "There is no such technology, and there really can’t be. ACOs are not a technology problem; they are a business model problem first, and until the business side has decided how it will identify savings – and share those savings – any purchase will likely be useless.

"The EHR systems and IT required for MU is a quite different from what will be required for ACOs," Shah continued. "It will be nowhere as easy for existing legacy EHRs to simply retool their current platforms, like they did for MU." With that said, Shah outlines nine ways future EHRs need to support ACOs...