There are 200,000 physicians who have implemented electronic medical systems thus far.  Many are in the investigational phase.  The vast majority are still pacing, considering the pros and cons and sitting on the fence.

However, for those of you who are on the fence- it’s time for you to come down.  The sensible question is really not why wait?

Rather the reality is Why You Can’t Wait:

  • The government is currently offering incentives to help defray the cost of your system
  • The government is helping with IT instruction through incentives
  • Both of these incentives will expire within 5 years and will likely not be repeated
  • Your malpractice liability and premiums will start to dramatically rise without a system
  • The government will start reducing your reimbursements for services rendered during each year after 2015 that you do not have an electronic system in place
  • You will be perceived by the public as not being up-to-date and you will lose your patient base as well as your patient referrals (since most referrals will be done online)
Read the handwriting on the wall. The future is here and now.  The future is also inevitable.  Become part of the future or become extinct.
P.S. For those of you in the research phase, there is a resource to help inform you of what is out there and what process implementation and selection will be.  Check out www.emr-guide-choosing.com