Factors affecting cross-hospital exchange of Electronic Medical Records

Adopting Electronic Medical Record (EMR) exchange may save patients’ lives and also improve their health. Most Electronic Data Interchange studies have considered commercial enterprises and necessary funding to support business activities, EMR exchange focuses on saving patients’ lives. Our study combined transaction cost and sociological perspectives to identify factors that affect a hospitals’ willingness to implement EMR exchange. A survey was conducted with regional hospitals and medical centers in Taiwan to justify the validity of a resulting model. Our findings indicated that the model was valuable and determined which factors influenced the decision to implement EMR exchange at these hospitals (perceived benefits, uncertainty, influence, and reciprocal investments). Based on these findings, healthcare policy makers can promote EMR exchange and hospitals can identify desirable partners that will form a strategic alliance to meet the dynamic challenges in the healthcare industry.