HIMSS: Ambulatory EMR Growth Slow but Steady

Market growth of EMR implementations in ambulatory healthcare settings such as private medical practices or specialty clinics continues at a slow but steady pace, according to results from the Ambulatory Healthcare IT Survey, conducted by the Chicago-based Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS) and HIMSS Analytics.

Approximately one-third of respondents noted that functional components of an EMR are in place at their facility. According to the organizations, the research clearly suggests that no dominant market leader exists, and instead, many software vendors are players in this market.

The HIMSS/HIMSS Analytics Ambulatory Healthcare IT Survey also found that:

• Market growth is predicted to be slow with just 13 percent of respondents indicating that they will purchase an EMR in the near future.
• Half of these respondents said that their organization will purchase an EMR application within a year.
• Among both current and future users, physician and nursing charting/documentation were key features that will be used.

The complete survey results are available online.