We mentioned the MGMA-ACMPE survey that disclosed doctors’ struggles to adapt to rapid changes, legislative pressures and fiscal uncertainty. However, something else caught our eye.
According to 1,067 respondents, the top five most applicable and intense challenges of running a group practice are:
1. Dealing with rising operating costs
2. Preparing for reimbursement models that place a greater share of financial risk on the practice
3. Managing finances with the uncertainty of Medicare reimbursement rates
4. Collecting from self¬-pay, high-deductible, and/or health savings account patients
5. Understanding the total cost of an episode of care
We dug a bit deeper, though, and found another concern–implementing a new EHR. It came in number 7, down from the year prior. Doctors, take note: respondents indicated that “implementing a new EHR” was less challenging this year, while “optimizing an existing EHR system” was cited as being more challenging for professionals.
We’d expect this, with so many offers rushed to market bragging that they will help doctors earn Meaningful Use dollars. We also know it’s easier to learn from scratch, than try to correct what’s broken and adjust to it. That’s like overcoming bad behaviors, and that type of “rehabilitation” is costly and timely. That said, we’re excited to launch Atlas.md, an EMR that’s been carefully designed, tested and iterated for our team at Atlas MD. It looks like doctors have spoken up, and that they’d rather try something new than overhaul an existing system.