EHR Transition Causes Its Own Headaches

Technology contracts often favor the vendor. Medical practices should negotiate the most agreeable terms possible, especially regarding termination, to make for a clean break.

A large number of practices in the market for an electronic health record system are not first-time buyers; they are shopping for replacement systems. As they look to correct what they believe was a wrong purchasing decision, they may be more educated in the selection process but may be surprised at the complexities involved in changing systems.

Black Book Market Research published a February report estimating that 30% of health care organizations searching for an EHR are looking to replace their current systems with new ones. A separate report by market research firm KLAS in July 2012 estimated that 50% of shoppers aren’t first-time buyers. But as a lawsuit in Milwaukee is showing, practices need to be aware that switching systems can cause even more headaches.