By Bill Klump | @TheKlumper

An electronic health record (EHR) is an evolving concept defined as a systematic collection of electronic health information about individual patients or populations.   It is a record in digital format that is theoretically capable of being shared across different health care settings. In some cases this sharing can occur by way of network-connected enterprise-wide information systems and other information networks or exchanges. EHRs may include a range of data, including demographics, medical history, medication and allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images, vital signs, personal stats like age and weight, and billing information.

The steep price of EHR and provider uncertainty regarding the value they will derive from adoption in the form of return on investment has a significant influence on EHR adoption.   In a project initiated by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information (ONC), surveyors found that hospital administrators and physicians who had adopted EHR noted that any gains in efficiency were offset by reduced productivity as the technology was implemented, as well as the need to increase information technology staff to maintain the system.

The U.S. Congressional Budget Office concluded that the cost savings may occur only in large integrated institutions like Kaiser Permanente, and not in small physician offices.  They challenged the Rand Corp. estimates of savings. Office-based physicians in particular may see no benefit if they purchase such a product—and may even suffer financial harm.  Even though the use of health IT could generate cost savings for the health system at large that might offset the EHR’s cost, many physicians might not be able to reduce their office expenses or increase their revenue sufficiently to pay for it.  For example. the use of health IT could reduce the number of duplicated diagnostic tests.  However, that improvement in efficiency would be unlikely to increase the income of many physicians.  That’s where our “Disruptor of the Day” comes in.

INTRODUCING Ryan Howard & Practice Fusion:

Practice Fusion is the fastest growing Electronic Health Record community in the US.  Founded in 2005, they’re rapidly expanding and adding new users.  Over 150,000 physicians and practice managers in 50 states currently use Practice Fusion’s Electronic Health Record.

Practice Fusion stands out in a marketplace dominated by complicated, expensive and inefficient EHR services.  Their user-friendly EHR can be activated in less than five minutes, with no downtime or extensive training; eliminating the difficult conversion process that has become an industry-standard.  Case in point:

Orthopedic hand surgeon Andrew Bronstein, MD, decided to invest in a legacy Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system to improve efficiency in his Las Vegas practice.  After spending over $60,000 in hardware and software, the installation team never showed up.  Bronstein soon discovered the EMR company was bankrupt and his health IT investment was gone.  That’s when, in April 2010, Dr. Bronstein turned to Practice Fusion, a free, web-based EMR .

“Since it is free, I could try it out in the privacy of my home before I saw any patients. I was hooked within five minutes and within one week, our staff was up and running,” said Bronstein.

Dr. Bronstein is featured in a new video case study as one of the over 150,000 medical professionals already using Practice Fusion’s comprehensive EMR , which includes medical charting, scheduling, e-prescribing , l ab integrations and more, all at no cost. Dr. Bronstein’s practice has since been able to go completely paperless, allowing him to manage patient records and quickly deliver patient care.

Practice Fusion’s free EMR is designed around an ad-supported business model unique in the health tech sector, where competitors charge upwards of $40,000 for software alone.  Because the EMR is cloud-based, upgrades to the product are rapidly deployed and always free.

“It’s an absolutely invaluable software product, from how easy it is to implement to how robust it is compared to EMRs that cost tens of thousands of dollars,” said Dr. Bronstein. “There is no catch, it is just a wonderful system.”

Practice Fusion is also ONC-ATCB certified, allowing physicians to earn up to $44,000 in federal stimulus incentives for adopting and using the EMR system.

“Practice Fusion is basically tearing down the barriers for physicians, freeing up the doctor and the hospital to communicate at no additional cost,” said Dr. Bronstein. “They are really doing a service to doctors and healthcare as a whole with a more secure, better health record system for our country.”

Although Practice Fusion is a young company, they are a well-established team of healthcare and technology veterans led by founder and CEO Ryan Howard -

In 2005, Ryan Howard left a career in technology to launch Practice Fusion.  He was 30 years old and had seen first-hand serious issues in that health IT sector at the time.  Ryan was determined to use his background in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), integration, health IT and business to do something he really cared about; to create an Electronic Health Record vastly different from anything else on the market and with the potential to fundamentally improve US healthcare.

It wasn’t easy in the beginning.  To support Practice Fusion in the early days, Ryan sold his house in San Francisco and then his BMW ( SF Chronicle profile , WSJ profile ).  He built a team of experts who understood his vision for health IT.

Practice Fusion grew rapidly as a free and web-based EHR in a market dominated by $50,000+ legacy systems.  Enthusiastic doctors, especially those in small practices, helped spread the word. Practice Fusion has attracted the attention of prominent investors such as Founders Fund and Artis Capital Management.

Now, Practice Fusion is the largest and fastest growing EHR in the country.  Ryan Howard exemplifies the new breed of health IT leaders revolutionizing the doctor’s office.  Young, energetic and changing the status quo, Ryan continues to lead Practice Fusion as CEO and Chairman.

To learn more about our “Disruptor of the Day” , watch this short video of Ryan Howard, founder and CEO of Practice Fusion, talk about the company’s free, web-based electronic health record system. You may also visit them at www.practicefusion.com