Separate EHRs pose care-coordination challenge for ACOs, OIG finds

Patient care coordination tends to be easier for accountable care organizations whose participants are using a single electronic health record system, HHS’ Office of Inspector General said Wednesday.

The need for reliable data-sharing has placed a burden on ACOs to either invest in the same version of an EHR system or rely on non-electronic means, such as phone calls and faxes, to communicate patient information, according to the OIG report. Installing a new EHR can cost provider organizations millions of dollars after taking into account expenses related to purchasing the new system, training personnel and transferring data.

The CMS has suggested that groups of providers...