How Would You Like to Drive Your Healthcare Organization into Bankruptcy?
Certification exams are meant to challenge, but there’s a fine line between difficult and unethical. Many certification exams test our knowledge and skills, pushing us to reach a higher standard. However, there’s something particularly troubling about exams that manipulate, humiliate, and use questionable practices that leave dedicated candidates stuck in an endless loop of failure, frustration, and financial strain on the organizations backing them.
In recent years, numerous healthcare organizations, particularly hospitals, have faced severe financial hardship due to the overwhelming costs associated with implementing and maintaining major EHR systems. According to Becker’s Hospital Review, even back in 2016, eight hospitals reported that EHR-related costs had negatively impacted their finances. This was just the beginning of what has become a significant problem in healthcare management.
A Financial Sinkhole
Epic, Cerner, and VistA were among the top EHR systems considered by the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration (VA). Despite the VA’s long-standing relationship with VistA—an EHR system they developed in-house and that would prevent handing over sensitive patient information to outside companies—the VA chose to pay billions for commercial systems like Epic and Cerner. Between the VA and the DoD, costs reached $16 billion.
From licensing fees and implementation expenses to extensive training, additional hardware, consulting fees, and ongoing operational costs, the financial burden these systems place on hospitals is substantial. Many healthcare organizations are feeling the strain of EHR implementation, with some forced to make cuts elsewhere, even to the point of considering hospital closures, just to manage expenses.
Unethical Certification Practices Add Fuel to the Fire
For employees aiming to become certified in these EHR systems, the journey can be even more frustrating and demoralizing. As a former healthcare IT professional, I’ve seen firsthand the lengths some certification programs go to make certification unnecessarily difficult, sometimes without justification. Epic, in particular, is known for its rigorous certification exams, which some see as more about control and financial leverage than about equipping professionals.
I completed several certifications at Epic, passing exams with near-perfect scores. But my experience with Epic’s Cache Systems Management (CSM) certification left me questioning the fairness and transparency of their process. While I completed the required projects and passed the first two exams, I found myself repeatedly failing the final exam by a mere question or two—despite being certain I’d answered correctly. Each failure was reported to my entire management team, making the experience not only frustrating but humiliating.
And here’s where things took a more troubling turn: my colleagues who took the same exams received nearly identical scores, yet they passed. One received just one more point than me; another, the same score. Yet, I was denied certification, seemingly because I’d dared to question the fairness of the process.
The Carrot on a String: A Tool for Control?
Many candidates dedicate hours, days, and sometimes years, sacrificing personal and professional time to study for certification. But the certification process can feel like a “carrot on a string”—an elusive goal that the testing organization controls without accountability. For hospitals, certification can mean a lot: Epic’s Good Maintenance discounts, for instance, can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings. With such high stakes, why would an organization not feel pressured to comply?
Consider the irony: organizations pay massive fees to implement Epic or Cerner, and then they face additional costs for certification, exams, and training. Meanwhile, dedicated employees find themselves pushed to failure, frustration, and, in some cases, termination.
Should We Accept This Treatment?
Imagine an organization paying billions for an EHR system, expecting it to bring about efficiency, control, and security—only to find themselves ensnared in a series of never-ending costs and questionable certification processes. It’s not just a question of financial prudence; it’s a question of ethical accountability.
How many healthcare organizations are facing financial challenges due to EHR implementation costs? And how many employees face obstacles and unfair treatment in the certification process because they raise legitimate questions? It’s time to ask tough questions and demand transparent answers from EHR providers and hospital leadership alike.
- Why are certification exams structured to create such high failure rates?
- What protections are in place for employees facing inconsistent certification standards?
- How do hospitals justify paying billions for systems that come with such added costs?
Accountability Matters
Healthcare leadership has a responsibility to uphold ethical standards, both in financial stewardship and in the treatment of their employees. Yet, those who question the ethics of certification programs or raise concerns about wasteful spending risk being sidelined, or even fired, rather than being given transparent answers or support.
This isn’t about disparaging an organization or dismissing the value of certification. Rather, it’s a call for accountability. Hospitals and healthcare providers need to reconsider their investment in high-cost EHR systems and question the long-term impact on finances and employee morale. Leaders need to be held accountable for creating fair certification paths for their staff and for protecting those who courageously bring up critical issues.
A Final Call to Leadership
As an IT professional with decades of experience, I’m left wondering about the true cost of silence. How many talented individuals are driven out because they won’t accept unethical practices? How many organizations are burdened by spiraling costs without questioning where their money goes?
To those responsible for purchasing decisions: consider alternatives, demand transparency, and don’t let vendor lock-in trap your organization into a financial nightmare. To those pursuing certification: know your worth, ask questions, and remember that passing or failing an exam does not define your value.
Healthcare deserves better.
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