I guess there are several things at work at the same time.
On the negative, rates have climbed faster than "inflation," (a nebulous term in the EHR industry since everything is up for grabs with the infusion of Federal Money.) Much of this is due to the growth of AC into a more robust corporation with larger staff and trying to meet Federal guidelines. In short, to get you money back.
The positive is that Jon has, in the past, tried to keep prices fair. One of the selling points of AC is a fair price. Yes, but the price has increased a fair bit in the last few years. If you are not getting stimulus money then this is a fairly big hit to a small practice. In the example above this is going from $850 to $2045. Ouch.
Overall V6 is not THAT different from V4 (it's better, but...) BUT e-prescribing alone makes all the difference in the world and previously was about $40/mo (Jon states $420 for the year above.) It's inclusion in AC5 and above makes it all worth it. In the above example (using Jon's #'s) that then makes it $850+$840 (2 prescribers) or $1890. Not a lot different from $2045 ($155).
IT'S INCLUSION IS NEEDED FOR MEANINGFUL USE. Even if it wasn't, it is a great addition. I do have issues with having to pay $40/mo to prescribe but this is again one of those hidden mandates to improve quality. Not as big of a deal if you actually get money from the feds.
Personally, I would prefer to keep my credit card alive and pay less but realistically, I understand the need for the company to economically survive.
So what's my take? I thank Jon for keeping the price reasonable, but keep the company afloat. I don't think his intentions have backfired, they point out how fair he has been and the reality of running a growing company in a changing market. I would like him to keep the current policy in place. Eventually everyone will catch up, just a little slower.
(as an aside, someone in another thread commented about thinking about switching to practice fusion. it will cost $1200 a year to get rid of the advertising. It is truly an inferior product. Did they ever get meaningful use certified?)
