Owning Up to Health IT Challenges

Physicians who have an ownership stake in a medical practice are more likely than other doctors to rate EHR implementation as difficult.

That's the finding of a study published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.

"Physicians who own their practice may need more external support for EHR implementation than those who do not," the authors report in an abstract of the article. "Innovative clinical support staff may ease the EHR implementation process and contribute to its success."

In an article about the full report, ModernHealthcare.com said that about 25 percent of physicians who weren't practice owners termed EHR implementation as "very difficult." Among owners, 38 percent rated implementation as very difficult. The authors said financial risk might skew doctors' perceptions, Modern Healthcare reported.

The researchers, from Boston-based Partners HealthCare, interviewed 150 Massachusetts physicians.

The full article is available online to JAMIA subscribers or for purchase.