Healthcare providers who are interested in improving quality can no longer afford to delay EHR implementation, according to a new report from consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton.

The paper states that healthcare is moving into a new era of efficiency and effectiveness, and health IT tools will play a central role in facilitating the changes associated with this transition.

In particular, the report points out that EHRs and other health IT will reduce medical errors, improve physician collaboration, improve patient transitions, get patients more involved in their own care, make care more convenient for patients, enhance military healthcare services, support public health initiatives and enable further research.

"Good healthcare is no longer about just good doctors and good hospitals; it's about connectivity, it’s about data, it's about information, it's about speed to treatment and health IT enables each of those," said Dr. Robert Pearl, executive director of the Permanente Medical Group.

A main focus of the report was the speed of care enabled by EHRs. This can help patients get the right treatment at an earlier stage, which generally leads to better outcomes.