EHR vendor readiness can be barrier to pay model rollout

Physicians hoping to succeed under new alternative payment models face a significant hurdle, and one that's out of their control: vendor readiness.

Electronic health record vendors' lack of preparedness to help physician practices make the changes necessary to perform well under new payment models can be a challenge, according to Dr. Laura Sessums of the CMS' Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. Since the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus, or CPC+, initiative launched last year, Sessums has noticed that vendor relationships are one of the hardest parts of getting a new pay model up and running.