My partner has used an EMR called Epic in her work and it, like all EMRs it seems, is trash. Government protections and a moat of network effects, they’re untouchable.
Those who are truly invested in EMR software are not developers and developers are not invested in EMR software. So, as a developer, it's a job you take because you need a job. And if you're competent, you can get a job elsewhere eventually. If you're not, well, it's not like medical software has a deep talent pool to draw from. You can coast for a long time.
Combined with that, you have to work with doctors and nurses. Doctors especially operate under the belief that demonstrated competence in one area correlates to expertise in all areas. No one bikesheds harder than a doctor. Except a doctor who fancies himself a programmer as well.
Then, most of them have superiority complexes. All users think using things makes them usability experts, doctors included. Couple that with the ego that comes with being in a profession where some number are responsible for life and death situations and you wind up with a user who truly believes that making the button cornflower blue is the single most important thing to take this thing over the top.
So you wind up basically with an absent, yet micromanaging, manager who also doesn't know how to develop software. That's kind of soul-crushing.
I know a handful of companies that went through YC trying to build EMR software and have met many more people since who are interested in this problem. It is not a lack of interest from engineers.