Primary care practices moving from paper to electronic health records can see a positive return on investment in 10 months on average, according to a new study from McGill University researchers.
Adopting a shiny new EHR is not enough, however. It’s how a practice uses the technology to improve workflow and processes that make a difference, Yeona Jang, MSc, MBA, PhD and colleagues report.
“A clinic’s ability to embed particular EHR functionalities in their workflow and make use of these functionalities in their day-to-day clinical practices” was associated with realizing a positive ROI, the authors wrote.
After adopting an EHR, practices saw an increase in:
- Number of active patients
- Active-patients-to-clinician-full-time-equivalent (FTE) ratio
- Clinic net revenue
In fact, all but one of the 17 participating clinics reported a positive net revenue effect. See the complete findings in the September 29, 2014 JMIR Medical Informatics.
Other findings present a more mixed bag when it comes to return on EHR investment. University of Michigan researchers estimated 41 percent of 49 community practices participating in a 2013 study would see a positive ROI – helped by Meaningful Use incentives – from their EHR adoption.
CareCloud asked Julia Adler-Milstein, PhD, lead author of the Michigan paper, about the differences between the studies. The comparatively smaller number of practices in the McGill study could mean over-representation of those with good data, management, and behaviors that increase ROI, she said.
Both research teams agree there is an opportunity for EHRs to have a positive impact on the bottom line.
The McGill researchers write, “This study provides evidence to practitioners in primary care that investment in EHR can be a sound decision with a reasonable cost recovery time frame while providing immediate opportunities for increased operational efficiency and the potential for further improvements in clinic performance and benefits realization from EHR.”
