The ARRA incentives make now the ideal time to invest in an EHR/PM system. Physicians need to balance those incentives with investment costs. Investing in a PM application will reap benefits because of its ability to turn patient encounters into cash. IT management expenses associated with a PM system are minimal—and most practices already maintain a server and network. When it comes to an EHR, the benefits (rapid access to charts, ease of prescribing, faster access to lab results, etc.) are reduced when some providers in the practice continue to rely on paper. In addition, because some providers perceive adopting a comprehensive EHR as an IT challenge—they fear losing patient charts to cyberspace—they incur the additional expense of employing in-house or outside IT experts.

To address the concern about cost, instead of asking, “Can I afford an EHR/PM solution?”, physicians should ask, “How much EHR/PM does my practice need?”. It all comes down to whether the EHR/PM provides the desired return on investment. Physicians have more of a choice than the most expensive system on the market or a bargain-basement version. There are solutions designed to perfectly fit the unique needs of each practice.

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