Why do EMR Implementations Fail?

Dr. Karim Keshavjee is an advisor and regular contributor to CanadianEMR and an expert on EMR implementation in physician practices. Affiliated with McMaster University, he is doing some interesting and important work focused on understanding why EMR implementations fail and identifying those factors that can be modified in order to reduce the risk of failure.

"How do you measure the cost of a failed EMR implementation? In significant financial losses, missed opportunities for improved patient care or the anguish experienced by the implementers, clinicians and senior managers? The cost of failure is high, by any measure. If we can learn why half of all EMR implementations fail, we can probably figure out how to improve the odds. That is the premise for an innovative new study led by Dr. Karim Keshavjee, a family physician and Associate Member of the Centre for Evaluation of Medicines, affiliated with McMaster University. While other authors have tried to identify and dissect factors that promote successful EMR implementations, Dr. Keshavjee reports this meta-study is the first to integrate the distilled wisdom of multiple reports. “We know the failure rate is probably higher than 50%,” says Dr. Keshavjee."  Click here to read the full article (.pdf format - re-published with permission of Technology for Doctors)

If you would like to add your thoughts or comments, please click on the 'Comments' link below.

Comments

[Dr. John Fernandes]

The REAL reason that 50% of EMR's fail (in Canada) is due to the simple fact that they are not funded - and that they cost more financially to use than they save.

Some pronopents of EMR are prone to making silly statements, like "the non-financial benefits are substantial...blah, blah, blah...".

This is simply not true. ALL aspects of ANY business ALWAYS boil down to financially benficial or non-beneficial. Those that don't believe that fact simply do not survive in the business world!

The Americans do much better with EMR's, because they are able to download those costs to their payors.

This is simply not allowed in Canada...for now...

EMR will simply NOT take off in Canada until Physicians are able to recouperate MORE than the costs of EMR implementation and use.

J.

[Karim Keshavjee]

Actually, subsidy is only one aspect in a complex network of causes and effects leading to failure with implementation.

There are many physicians who have received a subsidy and still failed in their implementation.

Recent research that I have done with some colleagues clearly shows that there are 12 potential points of failure in an EMR implementation.

Some of this work has been presented at conferences and will soon be published in a peer reviewed journal.