Using electronic health records (EHRs) will help health care providers build a sustainable medical practice. The next generation of health care professionals will expect and demand that their own medical facility have a state-of-the-art information system. Becoming a meaningful user of EHRs will allow providers who are building their practices to recruit and retain talented young clinicians.

Electronic health records can be used as a tool to improve efficiency, safety, and quality of health care for your patients. The meaningful use of electronic health records and health IT investment will help health care providers and hospitals offer safer higher quality healthcare.

To support your case for health IT investment, several types of resources can be used.

• Some organizations have created return on investment (ROI) calculators that provide a numerical basis for pitching health IT to investors. For example, see this ROI calculator from the Health Information and Management Systems Society.
• Journal articles are also potential supporting resources for your rationale to investors. Articles reporting positive findings on the ROI expected from EHRs have been published in journals, such as this article in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons or this article in the American Journal of Medicine.
• Case studies and stories of physicians who have already implemented an EHR are also powerful when making your pitch to investors. Case studies provide the tangible details and context required to make the story memorable.

See the following potential case studies.

°       Dr. Brull Case Study

°       More Case Studies

For more ideas and resources for pitching health IT to investors, you can contact your local Regional Extension Center. To obtain contact information for your local Regional Extension Center (REC), please visit the REC information page.