Have we lost our minds? The more I read the more it seems like the decision to implement an EHR now all revolves around the $18 billion of ARRA stimulus money. Don’t get me wrong. That’s a lot of money and something that should be considered. It just seems like all the other reasons to implement or not to implement an EHR have kind of been thrown out the window.

I think it’s worthwhile to remember that even before the EHR stimulus money there was already a lot of people implementing an EHR or planning to implement one. It’s like all those people that implemented an EHR and would never go back to paper have been forgotten. Yes, there are risks associated with implementing an EHR, but there are also some real benefits to be gained by EHR use that aren’t tied to EHR stimulus money from the government. Let’s not lose our minds and forget about the bigger picture.