The Practice Impact of Electronic Health Record System Implementation Within a Large Multispecialty Ophthalmic...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Health Informatics
• Health Economics

Background:

• Limited research exists on the practice and economic effects of electronic health record (EHR) system migration in ophthalmology.
• Evaluating EHR implementation is crucial for understanding its impact on ophthalmic practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the clinical and economic impact of EHR system implementation in a large, multispecialty ophthalmic practice.
• To assess changes in revenue, patient volume, and coding practices post-EHR adoption.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective case-control study compared pre-EHR and post-EHR periods.
• Analyzed data on net revenue, patient volume, revenue per visit, diagnostic and procedure volumes, and coding.
• Evaluated EHR implementation costs and expected incentive payments.

Main Results:

• No significant changes were observed in total net revenue, patient volume, or revenue per visit.
• The volume of diagnostic tests and procedures remained unchanged.
• Eye code usage declined, while evaluation and management (E/M) code usage increased significantly post-implementation.
• EHR incentive payments did not offset the total capital and personnel costs of implementation.

Conclusions:

• EHR conversion did not lead to significant differences in revenue or productivity in this ophthalmic practice.
• The financial benefits from EHR incentive payments were insufficient to cover implementation costs.