The global ambulatory electronic health record (EHR) Market size is expected to grow from USD 20 billion in 2024 to USD 26.53 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 5.81% during the forecast period.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the ambulatory EHR market. Electronic health record (EHR) systems were designed for tracking and billing patients to provide optimal care, which was the need of the hour due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases. For instance, an article publisheshed by the Journal of American Medical Informatics Association in March 2022 stated that in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several ambulatory healthcare organizations moved toward virtual therapy, which led to an increase in ambulatory clinician EHR adoption. Clinician review and in-basket messaging were discovered to be the primary factors behind the growth in ambulatory clinician EHR use, as more physicians provided care via telemedicine during the pandemic. Such instances are anticipated to have a considerable impact on the studied market.
Therefore, ambulatory EHR has demonstrated the ability to enhance health outcomes and reduce chaos during the pandemic, which made the hospitals realize the advantage of ambulatory EHR systems over manual systems. For instance, according to Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, in March 2023, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare pharmacy department implemented various patient-centered services in ambulatory care pharmacy operations to adapt to COVID-19 pandemic challenges by providing better and more effective patient counseling by utilizing the patient-centered care model of ambulatory care pharmacy design and advanced technologies such as electronic health records (EHR) or virtual mode. Hence, the demand for ambulatory EHR systems increased, eventually driving market growth.
The factors propelling the growth of the ambulatory EHR market include the rising adoption of EHR solutions in developed markets, increasing the need for fluid movement of healthcare information and technological advancements, and government initiatives to maintain and enhance patient health record portals. For instance, according to an article published by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, in 2021, the adoption of patient flow software continually increased, with nearly 87% of acute and ambulatory care adopting an enterprise-wide patient flow system and high adoption in critical areas.
Furthermore, according to an article published by Oracle Cerner, a key player in the ambulatory EHR market, in December 2021, it was stated that ambulatory care continues to evolve as one of the fastest-growing sectors in healthcare, maximizing clinic efficiency. Thus, the adoption of EHR solutions in developed markets is anticipated to drive market growth over the forecast period.
Additionally, the key strategies implemented by market players, such as launch, approval, partnerships, and collaborations, contribute to the market's growth. For instance, in March 2022, MEDITECH Expanse Ambulatory was launched and is now available to independent and physician-owned practices. The solution's web and touch-based design offers a personalized user experience and efficient office workflows without requiring an expanse of EHR in the hospital setting. Such strategies are expected to drive the growth of the market over the forecast period.
Hence, the Ambulatory EHR market is anticipated to grow due to the above-mentioned factors, such as the rising adoption of EHR solutions in developed markets, increasing the need for fluid movement of healthcare information and technological advancements, and government initiatives to maintain and enhance patient health record portals over the forecast period. However, inconsistent EHR adoption across emerging markets and regulatory barriers are the factors expected to restrain market growth.
The cloud-based solution is the delivery of computing services, such as software, databases, analytics, and others, over the Internet, which does not require the physical deployment of computing instruments or devices, such as servers and storage units, by the healthcare providers on their premises. Some of the factors driving the cloud-based solutions segment are cost-effective services and the advantages of user-friendly software models. For instance, in January 2023, Ospitek Inc., a provider of IoT and AI-enhanced surgical care coordination, launched live patient charting for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) as part of the company's latest update of its proprietary surgical coordination platform, VIEW. This latest feature is fully integrated into Ospitek's existing suite of cloud-based, IoT, and AI-enhanced surgical coordination features. Thus, the enumerated factors are expected to drive the segmental market over the forecast period.
Furthermore, the market leaders are involved in product launches, collaborations, expansions, and acquisitions to sustain the competition. For instance, in June 2022, St. Peter's Health partnered with Innovaccer to integrate the company's healthcare cloud platform into care sites to improve care management. St. Peter's Health comprises over 100 providers, a 99-bed acute care hospital, and other ambulatory service lines.
Additionally, in March 2023, U.S.-based Northwell Health signed an agreement with healthcare software provider Epic to adopt the next-generation electronic health record (EHR) as part of its continuous digital transformation to provide a flawless patient and team member experience. With Epic, Northwell focuses on areas such as delivering a single patient record across ambulatory and emergency settings to promote clinical continuity and care coordination.
Thus, all the above factors, such as cost-effective services and the advantages of user-friendly software models, are expected to contribute to the growth of this segment over the forecast period.
North America is expected to see a surge in the overall ambulatory EHR market throughout the forecast period due to the rise in the technological advancement in the EHR systems, a high awareness rate among patients, and rising investments in healthcare IT solutions in the country. For instance, according to a study published by Cureus in October 2022, ambulatory care physician office visits were stratified by EHR use in the United States. According to the survey, 75% of ambulatory care visits involved using all EHRs, whereas 25% involved just partial or no use of EHRs. Additionally, according to the study published by the National Library of Medicine in August 2021, the Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey found that 86 percent of Canadian physicians use electronic medical records. Thus, the increase in the adoption of EHR in ambulatory care is expected to drive the market.
Several companies are starting strategies like collaborations, new product launches, and mergers and acquisitions to maintain and increase their market shares. For instance, in June 2021, CarePort launched CarePort Ambulatory, a solution that enables ambulatory providers to improve collaboration with home and community-based organizations and track patients across these settings. Therefore, continuous product launches in the region are anticipated to drive market growth over the forecast period.
Thus, considering the above-mentioned factors, such as the increase in the adoption of EHR in ambulatory care, the increase in the adoption of digitation in healthcare, and company initiatives in the market, it is expected to witness considerable growth in North America over the forecast period.
The ambulatory EHR market is fragmented in nature due to the presence of several companies operating globally and regionally. The initiatives taken by the market players such as the launch of new products and increasing adoption of EHR across ambulatory centers is expected to propel the market growth. The companies in the market include Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., eMDs, Inc., Athenahealth Inc., Cerner Corporation, eClinicalWorks, and others.
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