Return on Information: A Standard Model for Assessing Institutional Return on Electronic Health Records

The 2014 AHA Chair-elect Jonathan Perlin, MD, co-authored this paper and companion financial model. It assists health system management teams and clinicians in calcluating the financial implications, benefits and costs of implementing and optimizing electronic health records and related technologies. The paper and model are a product of collaboration between participants in the IOM's Digital Learning Collaborative and members of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Despite the compelling policy and business environments for EHR adoption and implementation, the Dr. Perlin and the other authors highlight common logistical and conceptual challenges hindering investment decisions. They suggest that a standard model that allows for consistent comparison across EHR implementations can enable more useful assessments of the value of EHR systems and the related process re-engineering necessary to realize that value fully. The model is a catalog of benefits, expenses and potential revenue impacts and the accounts where these may be captured.

Read more about Dr. Perlin in Hospitals & Health Network's December cover story 'Toward a Healthier Tomorrow.'

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Electronic Health Records (EHRs) - Meaningful Use

Health Information Technology (HIT)

Leveraging Technology