Study: Physicians Who Own Their Practices Face More EHR Implementation Challenges

Physicians who own their practices are more likely to say that implementing electronic health records (EHR) systems is “difficult” compared with physician employees, according to the results of a study published online January 16, 2012, in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. Researchers surveyed 163 physicians before and after the implementation of EHRs in an externally funded pilot program in Massachusetts. Physicians who perceived their staff as “innovative” were less likely to view implementation as difficult, suggesting that staff can greatly reduce operational burdens when they are engaged in implementation.