Praxis EMR ranked #1 by practicing physicians nationwide

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) ranks Praxis EMR the #1 EHR by physicians in the new survey "Physicians Who have Switched EHRs." The AAFP's award-winning Family Practice Management (FPM) magazine publishes a nationally recognized EHR Satisfaction Survey based on practicing physicians nationwide. As in past AAFP surveys, Praxis EMR ranked first place in user satisfaction, but this time physicians were asked to rate their new system after having switched EHRs. Praxis EMR outranked 73 EHR systems, with the largest percentage of physicians who strongly agreed, "I am happy with our new EHR system."

Praxis users are happy with their EHR, but this was not the case with most respondents. The majority of physicians polled were not happy. The survey also uncovered doctors being forced to switch EHRs and points to widespread dissatisfaction among physicians who've switched. Most respondents claim that their new EHR does not improve productivity, and only 39% of physicians are happy with their new systems.

"While our sample is too small to suggest winners and losers in the EHR marketplace, we do see some suggestive numbers," explain Edsall and Adler, co-authors of the FPM survey. "EpicCare Ambulatory and Praxis had the most net gains in customers among our respondents." However, when user satisfaction was compared between the two EHRs, the difference was compelling. Praxis eclipsed Epic and outranked all other EHR systems.

The survey also states, "Those who were personally involved in making the switch tend to look more favorably on their new system than those who did not make their own decision... Of the 140 respondents who said they were involved in the decision to change systems, 61 percent are happy with their new EHR; of those not involved in the decision, only 19 percent are happy with their new EHR.

"It's time physicians are allowed to choose their own EHR system," said Doctor Richard Low, MD, CEO of Infor-Med Corporation, makers of Praxis EMR. "The government is penalizing physicians for not using an EHR meaningfully, when most systems are unusable and were not the physician's choice to begin with. Instead, the government should penalize institutions that force doctors to use EHRs that impede interoperability." Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee would agree,"...we have been subsidizing systems that block information instead of allowing for information transfers, which was never the intent of the [HITECH] statute," says Rep. Gingrey.

The difference in Praxis EMR lies in its core technology. Praxis utilizes a neural-network engine called a Concept Processor that learns from previous encounters to chart progressively faster and more effectively. This enables physicians to chart with higher medical quality than with template based systems. Praxis learns from each provider regardless of specialty, training, or experience.

"Praxis is template-free and that's why physicians prefer it to other systems," added Doctor Low. "The majority of our clients come to Praxis after using other EHRs and experiencing first-hand the limitations and pitfalls of template-based systems."