IDC: EMRs/EHR market to hit 80% saturation in U.S. by 2016
The market for EHRs/EMRs will presumably expand as more healthcare organizations, encouraged by financial incentives included in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), adopt the technology. Research from IDC Health Insights estimates an adoption rate of more than 80 percent by 2016, up from less than 25 percent in 2009, and predicts a competitive EHR/EMR market that values vendors’ responses to providers’ needs.
“With over 150 vendors currently offering Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC)-certified technologies for meaningful use, EMR/EHR buyers face an overabundance of options,” said research director Judy Hanover, of Framingham, Mass.-based IDC Health Insights.
The market researcher’s recent report, "IDC MarketScape: U.S. Ambulatory EMR/EHR for Midsize and Large Practices 2011 Vendor Assessment," predicted that successful EMR/EHR vendors will be defined by their ability to provide quality customer support services, create products with a wide range of functionality perceivable to users, demonstrate financial sustainability and build devices interoperable with other technology.
The report identified midsize and large ambulatory practices, or those with more than 20 providers, as healthcare organizations that are particularly poised to benefit from EMR/EHR adoption.
“Large practices also see economies of scale that accrue with process efficiencies upon EMR/EHR introduction as improvements to charge capture, documentation and billing practices enhance revenue for the practice, driving return on investment,” researchers wrote.
IDC researchers cautioned EMR/EHR buyers against rushed purchasing decisions, suggesting that they consider barriers to EMR/EHR implementation that include cost, clinician acceptance, potential workflow disruption and incompatibility with technologies currently in use.
Additionally, the report advised EMR/EHR buyers to consider usability when selecting a product, but concluded that healthcare organizations also implement staff-wide planning and training processes to ease the transition.
“With over 150 vendors currently offering Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC)-certified technologies for meaningful use, EMR/EHR buyers face an overabundance of options,” said research director Judy Hanover, of Framingham, Mass.-based IDC Health Insights.
The market researcher’s recent report, "IDC MarketScape: U.S. Ambulatory EMR/EHR for Midsize and Large Practices 2011 Vendor Assessment," predicted that successful EMR/EHR vendors will be defined by their ability to provide quality customer support services, create products with a wide range of functionality perceivable to users, demonstrate financial sustainability and build devices interoperable with other technology.
The report identified midsize and large ambulatory practices, or those with more than 20 providers, as healthcare organizations that are particularly poised to benefit from EMR/EHR adoption.
“Large practices also see economies of scale that accrue with process efficiencies upon EMR/EHR introduction as improvements to charge capture, documentation and billing practices enhance revenue for the practice, driving return on investment,” researchers wrote.
IDC researchers cautioned EMR/EHR buyers against rushed purchasing decisions, suggesting that they consider barriers to EMR/EHR implementation that include cost, clinician acceptance, potential workflow disruption and incompatibility with technologies currently in use.
Additionally, the report advised EMR/EHR buyers to consider usability when selecting a product, but concluded that healthcare organizations also implement staff-wide planning and training processes to ease the transition.