Costs delay electronic medical record implementation, RTI-based study finds

Costs associated with the implementation of electronic medical records (EMR) is the primary reasons why many doctors have yet to embrace them, according to a study based on RTI International data.

RTI surveyed nearly 3,000 physicians between September of 2007 and March of this year. Of those participating, 66 percent of the ones not yet using EMR systems said cost was a barrier.

Other reasons cited for not using EMR included: failing to find a system that met a doctor’s needs; return on investment and concerns about obsolescence.

The study was published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers at four hospitals wrote the report based on the RTI data.

Among doctors who have EMR, only 4 percent said the systems were “fully functional.”