I’ve had this link to an EMR Stimulus Newsletter/website for a while, but I’d debated whether to post it or not. Why you might ask? I think a lot of the information is quite biased and much of it leaves out important perspectives on the EHR stimulus money. So, I hate when people get bad, biased or spin (I at least try).
However, I think the message that is significant about this is that this EHR stimulus money is big enough and important enough that a number of websites and newsletters have been created to try and provide information related to the stimulus money. Another example is MeaningfulUse.org. Yes, we’re talking about a lot of money at stake for a number of large EHR vendors. Not to mention Healthcare IT news and it’s associates.
We’re swimming with the big fish. What I’ve been thinking about lately is how long will this EMR frenzy continue?
John,
Very interesting article, and very true!
Another corollary of this phenomenon is what one finds when a search is done on Google for the search term “EMR.”
We’ve been providing what one could call a ‘matching service’ in which we ask physicians and vendors what they’re looking for and what they have, respectively, for 5+ years. This is undertaken at http://www.emrconsultant.com and we’re very proud of our database of 100,000 pieces of data concerning the EMR industry. We’ve been prominent in Google searches for years, but it was uncommon to see many other similar services.
More recently (since Feb 17th 2009), there are a number of other such companies offering to “match” physicians with an EMR, and, to the best of my ability to determine, in many instances their criteria are practice size and specialty. While these are important parameters, they are clearly not sufficient to make a definitive decision.
In contrast, the first full page of our form (aptly located at http://www.emrconsultant.com/index.php?p=1 ) asks about 17 features. Even this is not sufficient in many instances, but at least it is a start. Our second page asks further questions, and if you have the time, we provide hundreds of questions that can be matched against our database of information.
I hope that the mass of people jumping on this bandwagon take the time needed to be able to provide an actual service to the physicians who so desperately require assistance.
-Eric
Eric,
Interesting comparison with the competition on Google. You are right about a lot of EMR selection services appearing. No doubt that many of them are just big referral sources for EMR vendors who reward them handsomely. Yours is quite different and it’s why I’ve linked to your site regularly.
Your point about people taking enough time to choose an EMR is an important one.