Insurer finds EMRs won’t pay off for its doctors

Based on information from past studies, including an American Medical Association estimate that doctors see only 11 cents of every dollar saved through the use of IT, BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts has announced that it has decided not to require physicians to install an EMR to participate in its bonus program. Blue Cross of Massachusets did conduct its own cost-benefit analysis, however, and concluded that computerized physician order entry makes financial sense in the hospital setting and will require health systems to install CPOE by 2012 to participate in the bonus program.