Adoption of ambulatory electronic health record systems will grow from less than 25% in 2009 to more than 80% by 2016, fueling continued growth in the ambulatory EHR market, according to a study by IDC Health Insights, Healthcare IT News reports.
About the Report
The report -- titled, "IDC MarketScape: U.S. Ambulatory EMR/EHR for Midsize and Large Practices 2011 Vendor Assessment" -- examined 10 products from eight vendors.
These technologies were geared toward midsize and large ambulatory practices seeking to qualify for meaningful use incentive payments. Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.
Researchers evaluated each product on 48 criteria.
Key Findings
The report found that the anticipated growth in the ambulatory EHR market is being fueled primarily by federal stimulus funding. The report also attributed the expected growth to:
- The use of cloud computing;
- The use of mobile devices; and
- Vendor consolidation.
The researchers found that some vendors are well-positioned in the marketplace today and that others are in position to gain market share in the next few years (Miliard, Healthcare IT News, 11/21).