According to research report Ambulatory EHR Market is expected to reach USD 5.20 billion by 2021 from USD 3.92 billion in 2016, at a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period.
Growth in this market can be attributed to various factors such as government support for the adoption of HCIT, growing usage of EHR solutions, and the need to curtail healthcare costs. On the other hand, market growth is limited to a certain extent due to factors such as heavy infrastructure investments and the high cost of deployment.
Advantages associated with cloud-based solutions, which include flexibility and cost reduction in healthcare delivery are driving the cloud-based segment.
Cloud-based Solutions
Cloud-based solutions are based on SaaS (Software-as-a-Solution), which utilizes a group of servers to spread data processing tasks across healthcare organizations. This process requires a shared IT infrastructure, which contains a large pool of data that is integrated from disparate locations. A cloud-based solution can be sold on demand, is flexible, and fully managed by the provider; this differentiates it from traditional methods of delivery.
Cloud-based ambulatory EHR solutions are likely to witness high adoption in the coming years owing to factors such as low cost of installation and maintenance, unlimited storage of information & easy access to the information at any place, and reduced spam and web threats. However, challenges such as shortage of trained staff, and ensuring confidentiality of medical records are expected to limit their adoption.
On-premise Solutions
Decision makers in healthcare organizations prefer to maintain access to on-premise solutions as they offer enhanced control, safety of inventory data, and cost benefits. The on-premise delivery mode not only allows end users to use solutions from multiple vendors but also reduces the risk of data breaches. Moreover, it allows the buyer to decide when to implement a software upgrade, ensuring time to test the software and train employees on new features. Another benefit of this model, specifically for organizations migrating or upgrading from one system to another, is its ability to reuse existing servers and storage hardware. Reusing hardware significantly reduces costs, particularly for smaller organizations that distribute these costs of server hardware over a relatively small number of users. However, longer implementation process, payments associated with hardware and IT costs, and issues regarding software updates are some of the factors that are encouraging the physicians to adopt cloud-based ambulatory EHR solutions.
