EMR software systems have gone down in price substantially over the past several years. It is still possible to spend thousands of dollars implementing a new system (or even up to $1 million, for a hospital or other large facility); but in general, you are getting more for less than you were a decade ago. Not all practices or healthcare providers need the full EMR suite with every conceivable option. They may be able to find affordable EMR systems by focusing on the services that they really need from the software.
You can expect it to take between six months to a year to fully implement a new EMR system -- to get to the point where using EMR feels as natural and comfortable as your old system did.
It also takes a real commitment in terms of leadership and human resources to teach everyone on your staff to use EMR. However, many practices and facilities feel that this is a transition they'll have to make sooner or later -- so they decide to do it sooner, to get the transitional period over with and take advantage of the benefits of EMR as soon as possible.
One of the most exciting advances in electronic medical records has been the capability to integrate medical records software with Pocket PCs and the Tablet PC -- a lightweight computer on which one can write with a pen-like stylus, to create an instant digital record. With such a set-up, the provider is basically carrying the electronic medical record around with him, in the same way that he once carried around the paper charts. Progress notes and reports no longer require intermediaries or converting a paper chart into a digital one. This kind of technology, however, is obviously very expensive.
Two of the most popular and commonly used electronic medical records software systems are Charting Plus and EMRitus.