Going Digital: The federal government is trying to spur widespread adoption of electronic medical records. Electronic medical records would be a lot nicer than paper records, but the issue of security is a big problem. And cost. Electronic medical record software for an office can cost up to $15,000 to $20,000. That's a lot of money. To be sure, the security issues should be solvable. After all, banks and on-line stores handle sensitive financial information without any problem. But having that sort of professional security drives up the price. And with the cost of medical malpractice insurance going up and up, it's getting harder and harder for the average practice to find the spare change for electronic medical records. That could be a new AMA slogan - Tort Reform for EMR!