How fast the U.S. health care system adopts electronic medical records may depend on hospitals' efforts to provide support for physicians who implement EMRs, states a new research paper by the Center for Studying Health System Change.
Hospitals can pay up to 85% of the costs of the EMR software and IT support services for physicians, according to federal regulations. Physicians, however, must pay the total cost of hardware. After Dec. 31, 2013, doctors must assume any ongoing EMR costs.
Overall, HSC researchers found that hospitals support physicians implementing EMR, citing that the technology improves the quality and efficiency of care and allows physicians to work more closely with hospitals.
Yet many hospitals report that other IT projects, coupled with budget constraints and lack of physician interest, are key reasons why they have remained cautious about setting up a large-scale EMR system, researchers explain.
"While hospitals have strategic incentives to provide support, particularly to tie referring physicians to their institution, the effects of the regulatory changes on physician EMR adoption will ultimately depend both on hospitals' willingness to provide support and physicians' acceptance of hospital assistance," says Joy M. Grossman, HSC senior researcher and co-author of the study with Genna Cohen, an HSC research assistant.
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