For our second annual Physician Sentiment Index, we checked in with 500 U.S. physicians to capture their views on the practice of medicine in this time of rapid change. Now that practices are starting to register for Meaningful Use incentives, how are physicians feeling about EHRs? Are they improving patient care and outcomes? Do the benefits outweigh the steep costs and hassles of implementation? Are doctors confident of receiving Meaningful Use incentives in 2011?
In this survey, conducted with Sermo across specialties and practice sizes, we tapped into physician concerns about health care reform as they relate to both patient care and physician livelihoods. And we probed attitudes toward accountable care payment models and how doctors and patients might fare in a reshaped payment landscape.
Click to scroll through and read about some of the insights we uncovered.
Despite the struggles of EHR adoption and the Meaningful Use hurdles that still lie ahead, doctors have maintained a positive overall opinion of EHRs from last year to this year. Seventy-five percent also believe that EHRs can improve patient care.
Overall physician attitudes toward EHRs have deteriorated, with fewer physicians believing that the benefits EHRs can offer for patient care outweigh the financial costs of buying and implementing these systems.
Confidence in the promise of EHRs to improve the quality of care and reduce errors seems to be on the decline, as is confidence in their ability to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
Fill out the form to receive your free copy of the full Physician Sentiment Index and to learn more about how athenahealth is tackling these issues head on.
