Hey Dad! That EMR IPS Is Getting Closer!

Besides eating ice cream during a June snowstorm, the most unique thing my family experienced on our recent trip to Yellowstone National Park was coming upon a wild black bear. It was easy to spot, because all the other city slickers had also pulled over to see it, completely shutting down the highway. It was interesting that something so potentially dangerous was the highlight of our trip and what we wanted to see most.

As the bear waddled closer to the highway, all the regulars with their telescopic camera lenses started announcing, “It’s now within 50 yards! Everybody move back!” We were fascinated by the creature and all the attention it was getting by the many onlookers. 

New technology can often have this same effect on providers. The recent KLAS report “Interactive Patient Systems 2014: Are EMR-Vendor Solutions Changing the Game?”provides data on a new technology that has recently been spotted: the EMR interactive patient system. Providers are carefully watching this animal from a distance to see what its next move will be. Will it quickly invade and attack? Will it quietly go away? Many providers seem content to watch from a distance for fear of getting too close and getting gored or trampled, but many others are planning on getting closer and perhaps making a purchase. And those in the latter group will closely inspect what their EMR solution has to offer before they make a decision. 

Over the next several months KLAS will continue to watch the IPS market segment to see the next moves of not only the EMR solutions but the established best-of-breed options as well. Will a new leader establish themselves? Will providers gravitate toward supposedly integrated systems? Does it make more sense for best-of-breed vendors to stand their ground or to slowly back away and head to a safer meadow? Either way it’s a fascinating scene to watch. If you have an opinion or just want to be kept in the loop, email me or log on now and rate your vendor.