Report: EMR market could double, if meaningful use standards relax
Relaxing the meaningful use standards, as some physician organizations and members of Congress are urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to do, would be a boon to the EMR industry, according to market research firm Kalorama Information. The report predicts the $13.8 billion market could, if properly driven by incentives, grow in double digits.
Kalorama's report was conducted before the release of the interim final rule "meaningful use" standards by HHS, but it stated that the largest barrier to EMR use in the U.S. is physician compliance. For EMR to grow in the way the federal government envisions, healthcare systems will have to develop incentives of their own, something that might be in jeopardy if standards are not easier to follow, said Kalorama.
Kalorama noted that the objectives of the HHS meaningful use requirements, in order for physicians to receive incentives in 2011, include some that would be expected, such as a requirement that physicians must submit a percentage of claims electronically, use an established diagnostic list such as ICD-9 and have common medications entered for each patient.
However, according to Kalorama, requiring 80 percent of orders via computerized processing order entry by 2011, or that half of patients get auto-reminders through an EMR system, is a possible limiter to sales of EMR systems.
Kalorama's report was conducted before the release of the interim final rule "meaningful use" standards by HHS, but it stated that the largest barrier to EMR use in the U.S. is physician compliance. For EMR to grow in the way the federal government envisions, healthcare systems will have to develop incentives of their own, something that might be in jeopardy if standards are not easier to follow, said Kalorama.
Kalorama noted that the objectives of the HHS meaningful use requirements, in order for physicians to receive incentives in 2011, include some that would be expected, such as a requirement that physicians must submit a percentage of claims electronically, use an established diagnostic list such as ICD-9 and have common medications entered for each patient.
However, according to Kalorama, requiring 80 percent of orders via computerized processing order entry by 2011, or that half of patients get auto-reminders through an EMR system, is a possible limiter to sales of EMR systems.