Unrecognized Provider Burden During Hospital EMR Introduction

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Medical Practice Management
• Surgical Specialties

Background:

• Transitioning to new electronic health record (EHR) systems imposes significant, often unrecognized, burdens on healthcare providers.
• The current healthcare environment is characterized by increasing mandates, rising operational costs, and decreasing reimbursement rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the non-reimbursed time investment required for healthcare providers during an EHR system transition.
• To assess the impact of a mandatory EHR implementation on a small, independent spine surgery practice.

Main Methods:

• The study tracked the time commitment of 6 providers within an independent spine surgery practice.
• Data collection focused on mandatory training activities associated with a new EHR system implemented by a hospital.

Main Results:

• A total of 266 hours of training (classroom, in-person, virtual) was required for the 6 providers to achieve proficiency.
• This training was necessary for clinical utilization and certification by hospital trainers and the EHR vendor.

Conclusions:

• The implementation of mandatory EHR systems creates substantial time pressures for healthcare providers.
• This time commitment detracts from direct patient care and highlights the need for compensation from EHR companies.
• The financial burden of EHR training on providers warrants consideration for reimbursement models.