Buyer beware: Hundreds of MD reviews of electronic medical record systems now a mouse click away
Canadian physicians now have a tool that lets them use colleagues' opinions to identify the electronic medical record (EMR) system that best meets their practice needs.
The new online system, CanadianEMR Satisfaction Ratings, lets registered MDs rate and compare EMRs. It went live May 1 at www.canadianemr.ca
, a Web site and blog operated by British Columbia FP Alan Brookstone; 16 EMR systems are currently available for comparison.
Since the site was relaunched in October 2007, EMR systems have been rated against one another more than 11,500 times via the site's "comparison engine." Brookstone says that roughly 37 EMR systems are being actively marketed in Canada. His site has received over 23,000 visits in the last 6 months and now has 865 registered users rating different systems. More than 175 physicians have been verified as raters of the 12 EMR systems that are listed in the vendor profile section.
Bill Pascal, the CMA's chief technology officer, says the resource is a valuable addition because of steps it has taken to ensure the independent nature of its data. As well, Brookstone's methodology for rating EMRs has been validated and Pascal says it provides "the broadest and best information" for rating EMR products.
Users are encouraged to interpret the ratings as part of their overall search and selection strategies. Detailed ratings are provided for each product, and physicians can register and rate any EMR system available in Canada, although unverified ratings have a lower level of confidence.
The rating system has been developed with the support and involvement of a team of experienced physician leaders, professional associations and sellers. When a physician submits a rating for a specific system, limited information is shared with the vendor to verify the person uses that product. The ratings themselves are not shared with vendors. Brookstone says verification is one of the site's main strengths.
"I believe that CanadianEMR is becoming the de facto source of unbiased Consumer Reports-style information about the EMR market," Brookstone says. "Following the initial launch of the satisfaction ratings, I expect a growing number of physicians to rate their systems, which will progressively increase the value of information available."
Although CanadianEMR receives funding from sponsors, Brookstone says the EMR ratings and other information on the site are independent and unbiased.
Forward any comments about this article to: cmanews@cma.ca
© Canadian Medical Association or its licensors 2008
