I first started writing about physician practices shortly after we'd all survived Y2K, and electronic health records (EHR) were predicted to be the next big thing to revolutionize healthcare. Early adopters I spoke to almost all had similar stories: Implementation was painful and slow, costs were significantly higher than anticipated, and that the usual host of IT-related headaches got worse before real benefits began to emerge.

It was before certifying bodies such as CCHIT came into existence or Meaningful Use meant anything or a cloud contained anything but rain. But the practices that truly found peace in going paperless had one key trait in common: A vision of how their practices would function with an EHR.

With no direct financial incentives and the steep challenge to get physicians even to consider switching to the technology, these practices were motivated by an overarching goal to improve their workflow and better serve their patients.

Today, EHR adoption is no longer purely voluntary, as the government wants all healthcare providers using the technology by 2014. But regardless of the carrot (or stick) being used to drive implementation today and tomorrow, practices need to keep their focus on the same underlying reasons for going to the trouble.

"The goal is not implementation; the goal is not even successful attestation to Meaningful Use," Dr. Jason Mitchell, assistant director of the American Association of Family Physicians Center for Health IT, recently told FiercePracticeManagement for our new eBook, "Selecting the right EHR system for your physician practice." He continued, "The goal is more effective and safer care for patients, better workflow for staff, and better quality of life for physicians. Meaningful Use is just a specific milestone for where we're trying to get."

But even with the right milestones in mind, the road to reaching each of them is a rocky one. For example, I recently heard a physician lament that most EHR vendors seemed to have a training staff of two and a sales team of 100. Her practice was working with its third vendor in three years, and several months after beginning monthly payments to the company, it had yet to go live.

This type of experience and other horror stories is not uncommon. From the overwhelming choice of choosing a vendor and a product in the first place to working out a contract to getting office visits back up to speed, the process is at least as difficult as it is worthwhile.

Have you yet started down the EHR road? Share your lessons for fellow practices in the comments here or send me an email. - Deb