Cerner, an electronic health record software company, launched a cloud-based version of its electronic health record (EHR) with the aim of helping rural and Critical Access Hospitals eliminate costs associated with traditional EHR systems. Many rural hospitals are now facing increased pressure to cut costs to stay afloat due to losses in revenue from cancelled elective procedures and patient attrition. Cloud-based EHRs help cut costs by lowering maintenance costs and fixed payments, allowing rural health systems to focus their budgets on operational costs. Many experts expect to see more rural health systems invest in this innovative technology and potentially use some of the funds from the $10 billion rural carveout of the Provider Relief Fund distributed by HHS to install cloud-based EHRs.
