title: Evolving vendor market for HITECH-certified ambulatory EHR products.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The ambitious goals of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act require rapid development and certification of new ambulatory electronic health record (EHR) products.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine where the vendor market for EHR products stands now and the policy issues emerging from the market's evolution.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive study with policy analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We had 3 main sources of information: (1) documents describing this evolving market, which is not well represented in peer-reviewed literature; (2) operational data on certified ambulatory EHR products and their use by Medicareeligible professionals attesting for meaningful use payments from January 2011 to October 2012; and (3) telephone interviews with 10 vendors that account for 57% of the market.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Those attesting for Medicare meaningful use payments used ambulatory EHRs from 353 different vendors, although 16 firms accounted for 75% of the market. The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index showed the ambulatory EHR market to be highly competitive, particularly for practices of 50 or fewer professionals. The interviewed vendors and the external analysts agreed that stage 1 requirements set a relatively low bar for market entry, but that likely will change as requirements get more demanding.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HITECH Act met its initial goals to motivate growth of diverse ambulatory EHR products. A market shakeout may emerge, though current data reveal no signs of it. Policy makers can influence the shape and value of such a shakeout, and the extent of disruption, through their approach to certification and "usability" and "interoperability" strategies and requirements.
authors: Mathematica Policy Analysis, 1100 1 St NE, 12th Fl, Washington, DC 20002. E-mail: mgold@mathematica-mpr.com.
authors: Marsha
authors: M
authors: Gold
authors: Mynti
authors: M
authors: Hossain
authors: Dustin R
authors: DR
authors: Charles
authors: Michael F
authors: MF
authors: Furukawa
mesh_terms: D003132:Commerce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004465:Economic Competition; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D062527:Meaningful Use; D014481:United States