Electronic records see some gains
R.I. doctors sign deal to roll out new system
By Justin Sayles, Staff Writer, PBN News
A joint venture by five major Rhode Island medical practices signed a deal with a Massachusetts vendor last week that the doctors say will make adopting electronic health records far more affordable for physicians across the state.
Dr. Mark Jacobs, physician chair of the board of directors of Electronic Health Records of Rhode Island (EHRRI), a for-profit company owned by the doctors involved, said the group now has a contract to resell eClinicalWorks’ EHR platform at a discounted rate.
Most doctors keep patients’ medical records on paper, but there’s a national movement to computerize those records and hook them up to a common network, so providers can more easily share information, saving time and avoiding unnecessary tests and imaging.
EHR systems can cost thousands of dollars to implement and maintain, however, Jacobs said. EHRRI will help reduce the cost. “By getting a majority of the state’s physicians [on board], we greatly simplify the entire process of adoption, implementation, training and upgrading,” he said.
EHRRI’s founding partners already make up, collectively, about one-third of Rhode Island’s 4,000 physicians. The group includes Coastal Medical, of which Jacobs is president; Thundermist Health Center; and the physician organizations of Lifespan, Women & Infants Hospital and Kent Hospital – about 1,400 doctors altogether.
To keep the price low, EHRRI plans to operate at a loss, Jacobs said, and try to offset the deficit by raising capital from companies that stand to benefit from the implementation of the program. Already, the group has approached health insurers, Jacobs said.
The first 125 doctors are slated to begin using eClinicalWorks in the next year, with a portion of that group starting in about 12 weeks, Jacobs said. The program’s rollout is being closely watched by the Rhode Island Quality Institute, a public-private partnership that is facilitating the development of a statewide electronic health information network.
“If they are successful at supporting physicians and implementation, it will be a major step forward, which is why [EHRRI] has drawn a significant amount of interest,” said Laura Adams, president and CEO of the Quality Institute.
But Adams also stressed that the institute would not promote EHRRI as the only answer to doctors’ needs. There are already alternatives in place, such as the R.I. Primary Care Physicians Corporation’s EPIChart.
The system, which was developed by Polaris Medical Management, said the physicians corporation’s executive director Christopher Dacey, is offered at a discount rate to the corporation’s members, and is currently used by 100 doctors.
Dacey said his group met recently with leaders of EHRRI and the Quality Institute to be assured that the initiative would not be billed as the only option for physicians looking to purchase an electronic health record system.
“We didn’t want the message being sent that this was the only solution out there, Dacey said.
Smaller companies have also entered the market, offering doctors additional options. Dr. Jonathan Bertman, owner of AmazingCharts.com Inc. in North Kingstown, said he has sold his system to 15 Rhode Island customers so far.
Bertman said the market has grown in recent years, but the number of players in the industry could soon shrink.
“I believe we’re at the peak of the market,” Bertman said. “I think there’s going to be some consolidation.”
Published 03/04/2006
Issue 20-47
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