Week 12_Bhargava and Mishra (2014)_Vicky Xu

Electronic Medical Records and Physician Productivity: Evidence from Panel Data Analysis

Bhargava and Mishra (2014) examined the impacts of electronic medical record (EMR) system implementation on physician productivity across different specialties and to uncover the dynamic and temporal nature of these impacts. The conceptual foundations of this study draw upon research from three strands of work: physician productivity, IT-enabled productivity, and task-technology fit (TTF). And Bargava and Mishra (2014) tried to fill the gap in the literature by examining two research questions: (1) How does physician productivity change over time as a result of EMR implementation? (2) Does this impact differ for physicians of different specialties?

Bhargave and Mishra (2014) collected pre and post-implementation productivity data on 87 primary care physicians (PCPs) over a 39-month period, yielding 3,186 physician (Internal medicine specialists (IMs), pediatricians (Peds), and family practitioners (FPs))-month observations at an academic medical center associated with a large public university in the western U.S. Also qualitative interview data and survey data were collected to obtain insights into the context of EMR use at this study.

Bhargave and Mishra (2014) found that: First, the net impact of EMR is more benign on IMs than on Peds and FPs. Second, physician experience is not significantly related to productivity. Third, FPs and Peds experience a decrease in productivity compared to IMs in the learning phase.

The main contributions in the study: (1) Extends the research in both health informatics and IT productivity literatures. (2) Provides informed indications that the nature, direction, and magnitude of impacts induced by technological innovations. (3) Provides a rigorously derived dynamic pattern for describing the productivity impact of EMRs over time. (4) Demonstrates divergence in EMR impact across specialties, require further investigation and are of consequence to both health IT vendors and users.