HIMSS Analytics recently released its 8^th Annual Outpatient Practice Management (PM) and Electronic Health Record (EHR) Essentials Brief, an annual view of solution adoption and purchase intentions from hospital-owned and free-standing physician practices in the U.S. outpatient market.  Essential Briefs are in-depth market research studies focused on identifying salient topics in the healthcare IT space that highlight mind share, market share and market opportunity of specific healthcare software technologies.

Steady annual increase in PM and EHR adoption in last eight years

Based upon the findings of the 2016 Outpatient PM & EHR Essentials Brief, adoption of these solutions by physician practices has steadily increased since 2008 and has reached the point of near universal adoption.  The findings from the study match closely to the adoption levels indicated from the HIMSS Analytics LOGIC Database which gives support to the study and helps establish a directional view of the entire U.S. outpatient market.  The study and LOGIC area also closely aligned when looking at vendor market share for these solutions.

Opportunities exist within the EHR solution market

With incredibly high adoption levels one might expect a burgeoning replacement market for these solutions across the outpatient market, however the most recent study findings indicate that a robust replacement market has yet to develop.  Physician practices seem to indicate they plan to move forward with the solutions they have worked so hard to implement and use over the last few years. This is not to say that there isn’t opportunity within this market, when looking at the Outpatient EHR, the study indicates that over 15% do have plans to replace or purchase.

An evolving solutions market to meet the needs of physicians with room to evolve further

The outpatient market is constantly evolving to meet the changing market dynamics for physicians.  To address these areas numerous questions are included in the study to address market elements that currently impact the outpatient physician market and will impact physician practices moving forward.  The study asks about physicians’ strategic approach around joining a health information exchange (HIE) and includes historical responses from previous studies.  Additionally, physicians are asked about their strategy around accountable care (ACO).  New to this year’s study is a question surrounding Clinical Practice Improvement Activities (CPIAs) within the Medicare Access and CHIP Reorganization Act (MACRA).  The adoption and use of technology will be essential in meeting CPIAs so the study has carved out the top technologies and models of care physicians feel their practice will need to implement to address CPIAs.  Despite near universal adoption there are still areas vendors need to address with their solutions and areas where physicians will need help.

Get a snapshot report of this study!

Get a snapshot report of this Essentials Brief study for free and get a demo of the LOGIC Outpatient Solutions Dashboard! Offered for a limited time only at introductory pricing, gain critical insights into the Outpatient PM & EHR solutions market including both this Essentials Brief study and our LOGIC Outpatient Solutions Dashboard. Packed with actionable insight including market share, current installation information for the U.S. market to help you create your best pitch to the right people at the right time.