EHR Roulette: Gambling On Medicine's Future

As medical practices look to replace clunky ambulatory electronic health records systems, picking a winner can seem like risky business.

Many medical groups are not happy with the EHR systems they initially invested in and are looking for a better option. One survey by consultancy Software Advice, for instance, found that the number of medical groups purchasing new electronic health records to replace existing EHRs grew from 21% in 2010 to 31% in 2013. The vast majority switched because they were dissatisfied; in 2010, almost 59% were changing vendors for that reason, but that figure jumped to 74.2% in 2013.

That kind of bleak data tracks with findings from KLAS and Black Book surveys, whose customer satisfaction surveys can make vendors cringe. Such data can make the process of choosing a replacement EHR system feel like a hit-or-miss gamble. Listening to the divergent views of physicians who have put EHR systems into practice only confirms the feeling.