Can a Cloud-Based Platform Bridge the EHR Adoption Gap?

Meditech will now offer a simple, cloud-based electronic health record (EHR) service to critical access hospitals in hopes of bridging the EHR uptake gap.

Although EHR adoption has improved drastically since the enactment of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act in 2009, critical access hospitals have significantly lower adoption rates compared to all hospitals. As many as 1 in 5 still did not utilize an EHR system as of 2015.

The new platform, called Meditech as a Service (MaaS), is being offered specifically to these hospitals, which are typically located in rural areas. The simplified MaaS system will be available as a monthly subscription, and the company claims it can be set up and running within 6 months of procurement.

"This is an important step in driving EHR access and adoption for care organizations of all sizes," Meditech CEO Howard Messing said in a statement, calling the project an example of “disruptive innovation" intended to advance healthcare.

Hospitals will not be responsible for data storage, monitoring, backup, updates, or security. Meditech says that the program is hosted at a “physically secure Level 4 facility” with offsite failover. Users will have access to the standard Web EHR suite’s interoperability, revenue cycle, and clinical decision support capabilities through web-based apps.

"Reducing the complexity and cost of procuring and maintaining an EHR will allow these hospitals to focus their resources on patient care, productivity, and meeting regulations," Messing said.

Meditech’s market share has slipped in recent years, but it remains the country’s third-largest EHR provider. In 2016, it captured about 16.6% of the market. Cerner and Epic each hold about 25%.