Survey: Cost is deterrent of EMR adoption, training is #2
A recent survey of more than 500 physicians by Physicians’ Reciprocal Insurers (PRI) revealed that 85 percent were aware of the financial incentives for implementing EMR systems, but more than 35 percent did not know that they face government-assessed financial penalties for not complying.
By January 2015, Medicare payment penalties will begin for physicians who are not meaningful users of EMR technology. The penalties are equal to a 1 percent reduction of the physician’s annual Medicare payments per year up to five percent. However, those penalties may not be having the intended effect, as more than 65 percent of physicians who were unaware of the financial penalties said this would not cause them to implement EMR, according to the Roslyn, N.Y. group.
The survey also revealed concerns regarding implementing an EMR system. Leading the list of concerns is cost, about which nearly 85 percent of physicians polled said they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned. This number stands out when compared to responses regarding how much physicians plan to spend on EMR systems. Seventy percent of respondents expect to spend more than $15,000.
Cost was closely followed by training staff on EMR systems, which 79 percent of physicians are “very” or “somewhat” concerned about. Lowest on the list of concerns was “loss of patient information.”
Despite cost and staff training concerns, a narrow majority of the physicians surveyed believe EMR systems will prove to be a valuable resource in medical practices. More than 58 percent of the physicians surveyed responded that EMR systems will have a positive or very positive impact on the quality of patient care, the PRI survey found.
By January 2015, Medicare payment penalties will begin for physicians who are not meaningful users of EMR technology. The penalties are equal to a 1 percent reduction of the physician’s annual Medicare payments per year up to five percent. However, those penalties may not be having the intended effect, as more than 65 percent of physicians who were unaware of the financial penalties said this would not cause them to implement EMR, according to the Roslyn, N.Y. group.
The survey also revealed concerns regarding implementing an EMR system. Leading the list of concerns is cost, about which nearly 85 percent of physicians polled said they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned. This number stands out when compared to responses regarding how much physicians plan to spend on EMR systems. Seventy percent of respondents expect to spend more than $15,000.
Cost was closely followed by training staff on EMR systems, which 79 percent of physicians are “very” or “somewhat” concerned about. Lowest on the list of concerns was “loss of patient information.”
Despite cost and staff training concerns, a narrow majority of the physicians surveyed believe EMR systems will prove to be a valuable resource in medical practices. More than 58 percent of the physicians surveyed responded that EMR systems will have a positive or very positive impact on the quality of patient care, the PRI survey found.