This may be wishful thinking but my guess is that we are on the upswing or near the crescent of the sine curve of small practices disappearing. I believe our medical community is a microcosm of USA anywhere with a few variations. Most of the glorified salaries utilized to attract physicians to become employed by the hospital 2-3 years ago are being re-negotiated with most hospitals more dependent on outpatient services/providers for revenue stream and workloads and expectations are ever mounting.
I predict with the technology available today, the EHR that can meet the needs of smaller groups of physicians 10 and under to remain efficient and viable will not only survive but excel.
It may look a bit bleak with small practices disappearing, but I think over the next several years there will be a significant influx back to a smaller practice style with more autonomy, especially primary care physicians who have chosen not to continue with inpatient medicine.
I think AC will do just fine in this milieu and will continue to grow.
Having a product with a PM, will meet a certain % of current AC users needs, but a large % may never utilize the AC PM, but the inherent simplicity and intuitive workability of AC IMHO is hard to beat. And having my own patient data on site is nearly as precious as the dusty certificate that sits over my desk.
