This was the title of an article I found in ModernMedicine, “We Bought the Wrong EMR.” It’s a pretty interesting article since the writer is still a major fan of EMR software and the use of technology in healthcare despite choosing the wrong EMR. It’s a little hard to read online (in my opinion), but it’s a pretty interesting read for those selecting an EMR.

A few things in the article hit me. One major point he makes is that in their EMR selection they had the wrong focus (claims, viability of the vendor, reliance on national standards, and certification) and should have instead focused more on the human/computer interface. Most people would refer to this as the usability of the EMR. I’ve thought about usability of an EMR software a lot, but I haven’t probably focused enough thought and energy on how you can evaluate an EMR’s usability when you’re selecting an EMR.

What’s even more concerning to me is that the EMR stimulus money is likely to have a similar effect. It’s not too hard to imagine stories of people who got caught up in the billions of $$$ available from the HITECH act and forget to focus on what’s really important to find in an EMR software. Just wait for another article titled, “The EMR Stimulus Bought Us the Wrong EMR.”