Ask 10 questions before buying an electronic records system.

WASHINGTON -- Carefully assess your needs before you select an electronic medical record system, Dr. Jijo James said at the annual National Managed Health Care Congress.

"We've been talking about EMRs for 15 years now in various shapes and forms," said Dr. James, president and CEO of the technology consulting firm PGMS. "But we haven't seen the penetration in the market yet."

An increasing number of practices are adopting EMRs and the $526-million-a-year industry is growing at about 8% annually, Dr. James said. Approximately 15%-22% of practices have adopted EMRs, but the percentage of individual physicians who actually use the systems is lower.

When it comes to adopting an EMR, there's a range of attitudes among physicians, Dr. James said. Some say that they don't even want to think about it, while others say that it doesn't fit into their workflow.

On the other side of the spectrum are physicians who want to use an EMR system but say that they are not computer savvy, and those who are seeking a system with all the bells and whistles.

But for physicians who are interested in investing in an EMR, Dr. James said, the key is to ask the right questions:

1. What are the options? You can choose to go paperless in a day or to automate records in stages based on practice needs and vendor experience.

2. Can the new EMR system be integrated into existing practice management systems?

3. What are the additional costs? Training, additional hardware, and computer updates are all necessary expenses, but might not be included in initial price.

4. How will this be financed? How you plan to finance the cost of an EMR system will influence negotiations with the vendor.

5. What is the backup plan if the EMR is unavailable? "This is something you need to plan for in advance," Dr. James said.

6. Do you need the EMR to be able to exchange data with outside companies and other physician practices?

7. How much training is needed to get the system operational?

8. Can physician input be included in the creation of EMR templates and alerts?

9. Do you have complete ownership of patient records under the EMR contract? If not, the vendor may be able to resell any information either in an identified or de-identified way to a third party.

10. Who will be the practice's point person on EMR issues? Appointing a system administrator to act as the liaison between office staff and the vendor is a good way to keep current on any problems or questions.

BY MARY ELLEN SCHNEIDER

Senior Writer