Wash. hospital shelves over-budget Meditech EHR conversion
Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee, Washington, has ended an electronic health record (EHR) integration project that was “bleeding money,” according to The Star.
It was expected to cost $1.3 million to convert the 25-bed hospital’s existing EHR to new Meditech software, but unanticipated costs kept piling up. Having spent $1.7 million on the project already and still requiring $4 million in all to complete it, Coulee Medical Center CEO Jonathan Owens likened the result to buying “a car without an engine, brakes or exhaust.”
“A hospital this size just can’t incur those types of costs,” Owens said. “We just can’t.”
It would have been able to afford the initial price, according to Owens. As the price tag went up, the hospital sought financing but couldn't qualify due to a negative Medicaid adjustment, and instead it relied on borrowing from the county to pay for software add-ons required by Meditech to continue the conversion.
For more on how the failed conversion has damaged the hospital’s finances, click on the link below:
John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.