From Resistance to Reliance: Sustaining EMR Adoption at Narayana Health

Sachin Tyagi; Shreya Mishra; Ajoy K. Dey

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From Resistance to Reliance: Sustaining EMR Adoption at Narayana Health

Sachin Tyagi and Shreya Mishra

Birla Institute of Management Technology, Greater Noida, India

Ajoy K. Dey

IILM University, Gurugram, India; North American Case Research Association, USA

Volume 18: 2025, pp. 77-90; ABSTRACT

Adopting Electronic Medical Records (EMR) in healthcare is often difficult due to behavioral and technical issues. This case study explores the journey of EMR implementation at Narayana Health (NH), a leading hospital in India. After trying outsourced EMR systems, NH built its in-house ATHMA application. During implementation, challenges were faced, including doctors’ resistance, software adaptability, and sustaining the adoption. Dr. Sreenivasan Narayana (VP EMR), overcame these challenges using strategic approaches to achieve an initial adoption. However, he faced a critical decision point to choose between either enhancing software features, or managing doctors’ endless requirements for longer term adoption. Designed for courses in Organizational Behavior and Information Systems, this case provides insights into behavioral dynamics, socio-technical challenges, and the long-term adoption of technology implementation.

Keywords: digital health, change management, technology implementation, health information systems.