Separate EHRs pose care-coordination challenge for ACOs, OIG finds

Patient care coordination tends to be easier for accountable care organizations whose participants are using a single electronic health record system, HHS’ Office of Inspector General said Wednesday.

The need for reliable data-sharing has placed a burden on ACOs to either invest in the same version of an EHR system or rely on non-electronic means, such as phone calls and faxes, to communicate patient information, according to the OIG report. Installing a new EHR can cost provider organizations millions of dollars after taking into account expenses related to purchasing the new system, training personnel and transferring data.

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