ROI of EMRs not worth the cost ?

Interesting piece in the AMA news. Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA (BCBSMA) has determined that the ROI of an EMR is not worth the investment to doctors, and as a result, will not require physicians to purchase an EMR in order to participate in their P4P programs. This news is especially significant since it was BCBSMA that funded the very high profile $50M community based EMR project, Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative. One objective of this project was to understand the cost and quality implications of implementing EMRs, so BCBS's conclusion is based on solid data. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in justifying future EMR roll outs.