Carbon Health, a leading healthcare technology company, embarked on a unique journey in 2015. The company decided to create its own in-house Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, aiming to build software that provider offices and multi-specialty practices could use to create a network that was more public-facing than the typical EHR market.
The Inception of Carbon Health's EHR
The idea was to create a brand image, akin to McDonald's, where patients would recognize and trust the Carbon Health practice. However, selling an EHR to a fee-for-service market presented several challenges. Standardization couldn't be guaranteed, and small provider offices were not particularly interested in paying for much and had a lot of requests and demands.
The company realized that the only EHR providers that had been able to become profitable were those that had moved upstream to larger provider offices and into hospital and other settings. As a result, Carbon Health decided to become a vertical healthcare player, bringing the care delivery in-house and building their own technology for their care delivery clinics and virtual experiences.
The Challenges of Building an EHR
Building an EHR from scratch is a daunting task. It involves integrating with third-party services, such as e-prescription services and lab data providers. These processes can be lengthy and complicated, and they require significant resources.
If the company were to do it again, they would likely opt for an EHR with a backbone that allows for customization. This would save them the time and effort spent on tasks that an EHR company could easily manage and offer to clinics, such as third-party integrations.
The Potential of Licensing Carbon Health's EHR
After seven years of building their EHR, Carbon Health is now considering licensing their technology to larger health systems. The company's ability to quickly adapt and build new programs into their software, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, has demonstrated the flexibility and potential of their EHR.
The ideal licensing partners for Carbon Health are likely health systems that want to be more nimble in their approach to community or urgent and episodic care. The company could also potentially partner with large urgent care chains or urgent plus primary care chains that are frustrated with their current EHR systems.
The Impact on Organizational Structure
Licensing their EHR would require Carbon Health to beef up certain aspects of their organization. They would likely need to split their technology teams into those that specifically help with care delivery and those that are completely dedicated to the provider and the app that would be licensed to other practices.
The Future of the EHR Market
The EHR market is evolving, with companies like Canvas Medical, Healthie, and Zus Health providing a backbone of EHR that allows for customization. These companies offer core functions like chat, prescription, provider ordering, note-taking, and certifications, allowing care delivery companies to focus on their front-end patient experience.
As for Carbon Health, their focus remains on urgent care, primary care, and workplace health. They aim to modernize the front door for larger health systems, helping them reach their communities more effectively. While they are not trying to replace major EHR providers like Epic or athenahealth, they are certainly making a significant impact on the EHR market with their unique approach and innovative technology.
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