The Hidden Business Model of EHRs: How Practice Software Turned Doctors into Data Products
By Dr. Cory Frogley | Data-Driven Practice Series
When Technology Serves the Vendor, Not the Doctor
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) were supposed to make life easier for chiropractors. They promised simplified patient management, streamlined billing, and more efficient operations. But for many doctors, the opposite has been true.
Instead of freeing practitioners, EHR systems often trap them in rigid workflows that serve the software company’s bottom line more than the doctor’s. Behind the polished dashboards and compliance jargon, the EHR industry hides a business model built to extract value from every corner of a clinic’s operations.
Look closely, and one truth emerges: in today’s software economy, doctors aren’t the customers — they’re the product.
The Anatomy of the EHR Revenue Machine
At first glance, EHR companies appear to make money from software licenses or monthly subscriptions. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The real profits come from a network of “extras” that quietly turn a tool into a dependency.
Common EHR revenue streams include:
Billing services that take a percentage of every claim.
Tiered technical support that charges practices to fix issues caused by the system’s own complexity.
Data storage fees that make doctors pay for access to their own information.
Mandatory training programs required just to navigate confusing interfaces.
Each layer deepens the vendor’s profit — and the clinic’s reliance. Over time, practices find themselves paying continuously just to keep the system running.
As one chiropractor from Oregon put it:
“It’s like paying rent on your own data. Every new feature seems to come with another invoice.”
The Fine Print of “Integration”
Few marketing phrases are as overused in healthcare tech as “seamless integration.”
EHR companies proudly advertise compatibility with billing platforms or marketing tools — but the reality often tells a different story.
True integration is rarely free.
You might pay for third-party connectors, expensive API packages, or be restricted to a limited list of “partner” applications. And because many EHRs use proprietary data structures, once your information is inside, extracting it becomes complex, time-consuming, and costly.
This isn’t accidental. It’s a retention strategy — a form of digital lock-in that keeps practices from leaving not out of satisfaction, but out of frustration.
Recent data reflects this hidden dynamic:
60% of chiropractic practices report that data migration challenges are their biggest barrier to switching EHRs.
85% renewal rates persist even among dissatisfied customers.
Those numbers don’t measure loyalty — they measure leverage.
Data as the New Oil — and You’re the Well
Here’s the truth most chiropractors never hear: your data is incredibly valuable.
When vendors aggregate anonymized data from thousands of clinics, that information can be sold to insurers, investors, and research firms. Those groups then use it to develop benchmarks, pricing models, and predictive analytics — all powered by the work doctors do every day.
The troubling part? Practices rarely share in the profits.
Clinics bear the costs of collecting, storing, and cleaning the data, while vendors quietly monetize it behind the scenes.
As one tech-savvy chiropractor said:
“Our data has value we can’t access. The systems that collect it are making more from it than we ever could.”
The Support Trap
EHR systems are often designed with just enough complexity to guarantee ongoing support — a subtle but powerful business model.
Here’s how the cycle works:
The software grows more complicated.
Support requests increase.
Vendors introduce “premium” support tiers.
Practices pay more just to maintain the same system.
Instead of evolving toward simplicity and intelligence, many platforms evolve toward dependence. Doctors end up paying not for innovation, but for inefficiency.
Breaking the Cycle: What a Transparent Model Looks Like
The good news is that a growing number of clinicians and developers are imagining a new kind of technology partnership — one where the vendor’s success depends on the practice’s success.
A transparent model would be built around:
Clear, honest pricing — no hidden fees or add-ons.
Aligned incentives — the vendor thrives when the practice does.
True data ownership — what if we came together and used our data to further white papers, made it accessible to our chiropractic researchers? Actually extracted value out of it for our community and not just the insurance companies?
Intelligent design — automation that simplifies workflows instead of adding complexity.
The best technology empowers chiropractors rather than trapping them.
As one doctor put it:
“The right platform doesn’t bill you for support. It makes you so efficient you barely need it.”
From Dependency to Empowerment
The chiropractic community deserves tools that elevate, not exploit.
As AI and automation reshape healthcare, the most successful practices will be those that choose technology partners built on mutual growth — not hidden revenue traps.
In the next paper, the Data-Driven Practice Series will explore the AI arms race in healthcare software — and reveal why much of what’s called “artificial intelligence” today is really just automated repetition. We’ll also highlight the innovators redefining what true intelligence looks like in chiropractic care.
The future belongs to platforms that earn their value, not those that lock you in.
About the Author
Dr. Cory Frogley is a Chiropractor, CEO, and Founder of The Data Driven Practice, BlueIQ, and Pryme OS.
He is one of the most influential thought leaders in healthcare entrepreneurship, known for helping thousands of providers turn their purpose into profit through data, leadership, and AI-driven systems. His frameworks have redefined practice growth across North America and beyond.
Dr. Frogley is a husband, father, and believer that faith, family, and freedom are the foundation of true success.
