Electronic Health Record Systems in the Cloud: Critical Success Factors for Implementation

The date for healthcare organizations to implement an electronic health record (EHR) system is quickly approaching. As set forth in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, every healthcare provider must have an EHR implemented by 2015. Healthcare providers must also demonstrate that they are using the system according to meaningful use standards set forth by the government. If these conditions are met, healthcare providers can share in the $29 billion set aside by Medicare and Medicaid. If they fail to implement an EHR system by 2015, they are subject to penalties, and cannot collect any incentive money. Even with these incentives and penalties, small medical practices are lagging behind larger organizations when it comes to implementation. This is due to cost of the system, lack of technical capabilities, and skepticism that EHRs will help improve medical care. Cloud technologies could help overcome cost and technology barriers for these small medical practices. This research was done to answer the question: What are the critical success factors for implementation of an electronic health record system in the Cloud.