Report: SaaS, speech recognition keys to EHR vendors' success
EHR vendors must incorporate software-as-a-service (SaaS) and speech recognition services into their product portfolio if they wish to take advantage of market opportunities in 2010 EHR market, according to a report by market research firm Ovum.
The report predicted 2010 will be a pivotal year in EHR adoption, and vendors that can’t capture a sizable share of the market this year will be pushed out of the increasingly competitive arena. The report highlighted global government initiatives on EHRs and the overall economic and consumer drivers that are inducing healthcare providers to adopt IT.
“In the past, major barriers to EHR adoption included high upfront costs and lack of IT resources to implement and maintain the technology,” the report stated. “A SaaS model solves both of these issues and Ovum believes it is the best approach for physician offices and small hospitals. With a predictable, monthly expense, a subscription-based SaaS EHR is a much easier cost for providers to swallow."
"Furthermore, as the EHR vendor hosts the solution, providers only need to worry about their internet connection,” Ovum noted.
Speech recognition tools have helped increase EHR adoption among clinicians by increasing the accuracy of the patient health record—providers don’t need to make as many corrections. Speech recognition should feed directly into the PHR without the lag time of transcription, according to the report.
Even physicians who are comfortable using computers have found speech recognition helpful, because they can dictate notes as well as navigate the EHR quickly without clicking through multiple windows, said Ovum, a division of U.K.-based Datamonitor Group.
The report predicted 2010 will be a pivotal year in EHR adoption, and vendors that can’t capture a sizable share of the market this year will be pushed out of the increasingly competitive arena. The report highlighted global government initiatives on EHRs and the overall economic and consumer drivers that are inducing healthcare providers to adopt IT.
“In the past, major barriers to EHR adoption included high upfront costs and lack of IT resources to implement and maintain the technology,” the report stated. “A SaaS model solves both of these issues and Ovum believes it is the best approach for physician offices and small hospitals. With a predictable, monthly expense, a subscription-based SaaS EHR is a much easier cost for providers to swallow."
"Furthermore, as the EHR vendor hosts the solution, providers only need to worry about their internet connection,” Ovum noted.
Speech recognition tools have helped increase EHR adoption among clinicians by increasing the accuracy of the patient health record—providers don’t need to make as many corrections. Speech recognition should feed directly into the PHR without the lag time of transcription, according to the report.
Even physicians who are comfortable using computers have found speech recognition helpful, because they can dictate notes as well as navigate the EHR quickly without clicking through multiple windows, said Ovum, a division of U.K.-based Datamonitor Group.