Busting a Few Myths !
The healthcare industry is evolving. From unwieldy and time consuming paper records to streamlined electronic medical data. As with every transition, there are bound to be a few myths. And by far the most widely popular among them is that EHR’s are expensive.
Are free EHR’s too good to be true ?
There is a long held belief that, anything that comes with a “free” tag is bound to be inferior and counterproductive. So you cannot blame people who turn up their noses at free EHR systems. It is bare boned and doesn’t offer training or support, are the usual complaints. But there are a few free EHR systems that have managed to hold their own in a highly competitive industry.
If free EHRs are half as bad as they’re claimed to be, they simply wouldn’t exist.
Nobody likes being out of Business !
It is a big lie that free EHR vendors are, non responsive, and offer no support. Unlike paid for models, charge-less EHR’s are largely dependent on advertisers for revenue. And we all know advertisers know where to invest. If the support leaves a lot to be desired, it means fewer clients. Fewer clients mean no big advertisers.
So, Obviously…
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that free EHR vendors should actually be pulling out all stops to offer their clients great support. It works for everyone, the EHR vendor, advertisers and the most important person in the equation, physicians !
Tie-ups that work !
Costless EHR’s tie up with practice management systems so users not just get all that they want but are also offered a great deal of flexibility. Users can integrate the PMS or medical billing software that works for them. But doesn’t all this sound like too much of DIY?
Oops ! so the physician will have to deal with technical issues ?
Thankfully no ! Most popular free ehr’s have partnered with certified consultants to offer integration support and training. There are also a few billing firms that go a step further and offer free practice management systems as well. This means the entire argument of paid ehr’s being a whole lot superior to free ones, doesn’t hold water anymore.
Not a Bad choice at all !
This is not to say cost free EHRs were designed in health IT heaven and have an edge over high end EHR systems. But for the small practice down the road saving on a few hundred dollars can mean a lot.
Here are a Few Facts and Figures that prove Free EHRs help Small Practices…
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60% of doctors report they are doing better than last year due to the adoption of technology.,
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45% of small practices cite they’re doing much better than last year.
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In 2011 only 26% practices said they were doing better than the previous year.
But what is all this got to do with free EHRs. Well, this survey was conducted by Practice Fusion, one of the leading free EHRs in the market.
Costless EHR’s can ultimately act as an incentive and motivation for those who are reluctant to make the switch, due to the costs involved. And that includes a majority of healthcare providers.
