Despite the vast amount of money the federal government is offering as incentives, physicians are still not purchasing electronic health records (EHRs). Although EHRs offer many benefits, physicians as a group seem to be more risk-averse than motivated by gains. Many feel the consequences of purchasing an EHR that does not meet meaningful use requirements outweighs any benefits of early adoption.

However, it is in the best interest of every EHR vendor to make sure their software is compliant. There is no reason to believe any reputable system will fail to meet meaningful use requirements. With that in mind, we have compiled a list of top ten reasons why physicians should put aside their fears and adopt early.

1. Physicians see a 25% increase in revenue due to appropriate E&M coding, industry wide.
2. Insurance providers offer discounts up to 10% for purchasing an EHR with e-prescribing and order management.
3. EHRs can save about $24,000 per year by reducing costs associated with paper, including materials and labor.
4. Electronic prescribing can save lives. Every year 1.5 million people become sick, injured, or killed from misread handwritten prescriptions.
5. EHRs allows you to document encounters in real time, eliminating the need to stay late catching up on your work.
6. EHRs can save about $30,000 per year on dictation and transcription costs.
7. EHRs eliminate illegible medical histories. Currently 15% of all histories are illegible.
8. Order management can help your patients follow up on labs and procedures, which improves care and reduces your malpractice liability.
9. EHRs allow you to backup and preserve data against catastrophes like fires or floods, which is impossible to do with paper charts.
10. Electronic prescribing checks formulary eligibility for drugs – saving you the time and hassle of pharmacy call-backs.

These are just some of the many benefits EHRs can offer your practice. The longer physicians delay EHR implementation, the longer they forego these benefits. In these days of declining patient volumes and falling reimbursements, it makes sense to run a more efficient, healthy practice. After all, if physicians want to help their patients, they first have to ensure their own practice is healthy and strong.

We're all in a holding pattern, waiting and waiting for HHS to vet the HITECH "meaningful use" guidelines. No one wants to forage ahead without a compass. But if you put off your plans any longer, you could miss out on incentive funding this year. Conversions take time; we're already in March.

How quickly can you implement an EHR solution? It's hard to say. Some conversions take as little as six months, some as long as two years. To qualify for 2009 HITECH funding, your system must be up and running by November at the latest. Mark Seavitt, chairman of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology, recommended immediate action at the annual AHIMA conference in October- over five months ago. The clock is ticking!

Can you do anything to speed up the process? Perhaps. A lot will depend on the vendor or product you choose, but there are other factors. Staff readiness and availability, your hardware infrastructure, training resources, how you plan, and what you expect will affect your outcome. There are at least two keys to success: assigning talented, dedicated people to the task, and maintaining a positive attitude. If you're upbeat about the new system, your enthusiasm will trickle down to your staff; if morale becomes low, the project is doomed (see this invaluable planning guide from the AAFP for more information and advice). But even if you do everything right- buy the best product, hire brilliant technicians, implement everything seamlessly- your conversion could take many, many months. Rush the job and you may wind up saddled with an expensive, buggy system no one in your office wants to use.

How likely is it that the EHR product you buy today will meet the guidelines when they're announced tomorrow? Extremely likely. The IT sector has spent decades preparing for the digitization of health records. They've anticipated anything and everything the government could ask for. Chances are your EHR system will be capable of much more than the minimum required by HITECH.

So why wait? You know where health records are headed; you want to be in compliance, compatible with other providers and on the cutting edge of the health IT revolution. Choose an EHR wisely, and choose it soon!