Black Book Survey Declares 2013 The “Year Of EHR Replacement”

A new poll by Black Book Rankings indicates that 2013 will be a year of change in the EHR space as providers who have had time to evaluate their EHR systems decide whether or not the technology is truly working for them.  EHR replacement is a burgeoning market for up-and-coming software vendors, many of whom are trying to lure clients away from developers too busy with implementation backlogs to work on improving their products.  Nearly a quarter of respondents indicated active plans to switch to a new EHR vendor, while a further 8% replied that they are unsatisfied with their current EHR but can’t afford to abandon it.

When asked why they were interested in switching EHR products, providers overwhelmingly noted that their current package did not meet their individual needs.  Interestingly, the second most popular reason was a mea culpa: 79% of practices admitted that they did not adequately assess their own needs before choosing a vendor.  Specialty concerns, interoperability challenges, and poor module EHR integration also made the list.

Software products are only as good as the support behind them, and many vendors are falling short of client expectations.  Survey participants were asked about the top red flags that prompted concern about their vendor’s business practices, and the responses were not encouraging. [...]