What Software Will Replace EHR?

I’m usually a very grounded and practical person. I’m all about dealing with the practical realities that we all face. However, every once in a while I like to sit back and think about where we’re headed.

I’ve often said that I think we’re locked into the EHR systems we have now at least until after the current meaningful use cycle. I can’t imagine a new software system being introduced in the next couple years when every hospital and healthcare organization has to still comply with meaningful use. Many might argue that meaningful use beyond the current EHR incentive money might lock us in to our existing EHR software for many years after as well.

Personally, I think that a new software will replace the current crop of EHR at some point. This replacement will likely coincide with the time an organization is up for renewal of their current EHR. The renewal costs are usually so high that a young startup company could make a splash during renewal time. Add in a change of CIO and I think the opportunity is clear.

My guess is that the next generation of healthcare documentation software will be one that incorporates data from throughout the entire ecosystem of healthcare. I’m not bullish on many of the current crop of EHR software being able to make the shift from being document repositories and billing engines into something which does much more sophisticated data analysis. A few of them will be able to make the investment, but the legacy nature of software development will hold many of them back.

It’s worth noting that I’m not talking about the current crop of data that you can find outside of the healthcare system. I’m talking about software which taps into the next generation of data tracking which goes as far as “an IP address on every organ.” This type of granular healthcare data is going to change how we treat patients. The next generation healthcare information system will need to take all of this data and make it smart and actionable.

To facilitate this change, we could really use a change in our reimbursement system as well. ACOs are the start of what could be possible. What I think is most likely is that the current system will remain in place, but providers and organizations will be able to accept a different model of payment for the healthcare services they provide. While I fear that HHS might not be progressive enough to do such a change, I’m hopeful that by making it a separate initiative they might be able to make this a reality.

What do you think? What type of software, regulations and technology will replace our current crop of EHR? I don’t think the current crop of EHR has much to worry about for now. However, it’s an inevitable part of a market that it evolves.

About the author

John Lynn

John Lynn is the Founder of HealthcareScene.com, a network of leading Healthcare IT resources. The flagship blog, Healthcare IT Today, contains over 13,000 articles with over half of the articles written by John. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 20 million times.

John manages Healthcare IT Central, the leading career Health IT job board. He also organizes the first of its kind conference and community focused on healthcare marketing, Healthcare and IT Marketing Conference, and a healthcare IT conference, EXPO.health, focused on practical healthcare IT innovation. John is an advisor to multiple healthcare IT companies. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can be found on Twitter: @techguy.

4 Comments

  • John,

    I agree it’s only a question of “when” rather than “if.” But the bigger question is the “what,” especially as it relates to your point about systems with the ability capture, synthesize and analyze data across the healthcare ecosystem, including the Internet of things.

    In a murky and slow-moving regulatory environment, it’s always difficult to foresee how these enterprise systems will evolve, but as a vendor in the healthcare space, I’m struck my the dramatic shift in our conversations with providers, particularly ACOs and others working to make the volume to value transition. There’s a clear recognition of the need for systems that go well beyond what today’s EHRs can do with data captured outside the clinic walls, whether from devices, apps, patient self-reported data, etc.

    As a result, we’re seeing a growing appetite for software solutions that can augment existing EHRs and ingest the clinical data those systems capture, rather than relying on the EHR to ingest data from across the ecosystem.

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