Back in 2013, when the government introduced Health IT incentive programs, the adoption of EHR/EMR soared. It was reported that more than $17.7 billion were paid in EHR incentive payments. But even then physicians in small and solo practices were reluctant to follow this trend due to financial reasons. Despite the government incentive money, the cost to purchase and implement an EHR was simply a financial burden too great to bear for such small practices.
Interestingly, in just three years, 70% of all small and solo physician practices were reported to be placing their confidence in not just simple EHRs but in cloud-based systems. This was a great advancement in US Healthcare. Since more and more small and solo practices are coming on board the Health IT bandwagon, here are some things to look for when choosing an EHR system for your small practice.
The first thing we would like to suggest to you is to choose a MACRA-ready, 2014 certified, iPad-native, cloud-based EHR system. There are options available that come with no setup fees and offer free training and support to buyers. Such software could be viewed here.
Here is why you should be choosing the EHR mentioned above.

  • A MACRA-ready software can ensure success in a radically changing payment landscape. Recently there has been quite a buzz around the survival and future of the small and solo practices under MACRA and MIPS. But there’s no reason to worry. Healthcare practices providing good patient care and investing in MACRA-ready software will definitely see success and incentives under the new legislation.
  • Many doctors in solo practices are opposed to implementing EHR technology as they fear that they would lose the face-to-face patient bond. This actually leads them to spend more time in front of a computer than with the patient. With an iPad-native EHR, physicians can easily chart at the point of care, while consecutively focusing on the patient.
  • If you choose a cloud-based EHR system it saves you from purchasing expensive servers and the hassle of setting them up. There will also be no need to hire an IT team to maintain a server-based EHR.
  • Many small and solo practices thing that EHR systems come with costly setup fees and that becomes a deal breaker for them. But there are EHR systems out there with no setup fees and solo practices can get their new EHR technology up and running no or a minimal cost.
  • Not all clinicians are tech-savvy and require sufficient training before using a new EHR. EMR Systems features EHR vendors providing free training and free customer support. This can save you a lot of money.