PurposeThis case study aims to report findings on the implementation of electronic health records (EHR) by a multi‐specialty physician group in the greater south central Pennsylvania area and offers implications for HR professionals.Design/methodology/approachSixteen employees from the physician group participated in a one‐on‐one interview. Interview questions were intended to identify actions that define successful EHR implementation, readiness to take the actions towards successful EHR implementation, pros and cons of EHR implementation, and strategies used for change.FindingsThe findings describe the behaviors, readiness, pros and cons, and strategies involved for HR professionals looking to implement EHR.Research limitations/implicationsThe population of this study was limited to a physician group that is implementing or planning to implement EHR. This population is not representative of all medical offices implementing EHR, nor is it representative of other types of organizations.Practical implicationsFindings suggest that HR professionals should tailor change initiatives involving EHR implementation to employees' readiness in an organization.Originality/valueHuman resource professionals could utilize this case study due to its ability to describe an organization's readiness for EHR implementation and its ability to focus on activities and events that create successful modification of behavior based on readiness to change.

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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 authorized the distribution of $34 billion through Medicare and Medicaid as adoption incentives to qualified providers to implement and use certified Electronic Health Records (EHR). In the case study presented here, which followed the transtheoretical model (TTM), employees of a multispecialty physician group were asked about their movement to EHR. The employees were part of a multispecialty physician group with 17 different offices and 73 providers in the greater south central Pennsylvania area. Sixteen employees from the physician group participated in a one-on-one interview. Interview questions were designed to identify actions that define successful EHR implementation, readiness to take actions toward successful EHR implementation, pros and cons of EHR implementation, and classification of change processes being utilized to move the multispecialty group toward successful EHR implementation. Interview data provided preliminary evidence of the applicability of the TTM to studies of EHR implementation.

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