eHealth

Physicians today are being encouraged to adopt newer technologies, such as electronic health records and ePrescribing,
that many believe will improve patient safety, improve practice efficiency, and reduce costs across the health care system.

More and more physicians are using health information technology (HIT), and sooner or later, it’s use may be required.

Let the Federation of Physicians & Dentists
be your source for news and resources to help you
move forward with HIT in your practice.

Part of the $787 billion economic stimulus package that was signed by President Obama in February sets aside at least $17 billion in incentive payments to physicians and hospitals that adopt electronic health records (EHRs).

But the eligibility requirements to receive these incentives and the fact that the incentives are only doled out after the doctor or hospital has invested in an EHR system may actually be disincentives to widespread adoption.

According to HITECH, the portion of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that has been dubbed the “Health Information Technology for Economic & Clinical Health” Act, only a “certified” EHR system will qualify for a bonus, but the law has yet to establish who will perform the certification, although there are indications that the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) is a contender.

One big bone of contention here is that “certified” systems cost more, so when the price to set up an EHR system is already a barrier, the extra costs of getting a “certified” EHR system will not exactly send physicians and hospitals leaping onto the bandwagon that Washington hopes to create.

And further, even if the EHR system is “certified,” physicians have to demonstrate “meaningful use” of the system in order to qualify for incentive payments. But what defines “meaningful use?” This, too, is yet to be determined.

The law also still needs to flesh out the standards under which all vendors must operate. Indeed, software vendors have spotted the potential bonanza in the push to incentivize EHR adoption, which is sure to ignite rivalry among health IT vendors. But the point of the matter here is that the standards for interoperability have yet to be specified, and if there’s no interoperability, the billions in incentives could be ill-spent.

Another issue at hand is that in order to receive the maximum $44,000, you must qualify as an EHR user beginning in either 2011 or 2012. Anytime after that reduces your bonus period, with all payments ending after 2016.

So with all this sense of urgency coming out of Washington to adopt your EHR system now ‘or else,’ physicians and hospitals are feeling bullied and rushed into decisions that should NOT be made in haste, or this whole thing could end up being a huge, expensive flop.

Americans are of two minds when it comes to the adoption of electronic medical records, according to a new poll by NPR, the Kaiser family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Most think making doctors use computers to track, share and maintain medical information is the right thing to do, even though they don’t think they’ll save money and they anticipate significant breaches of privacy.

In fact, three-quarters of Americans polled said it was very important or somewhat important for doctors and hospitals to use electronic records instead of paper. But nearly the same amount said they were not confident that their computerized records would remain safe from prying eyes.

“I believe that some people may have something on their records that might be used negatively as far as their jobs,” said Paul Pointdujour, a mechanical engineer who lives just outside NYC.

But he thinks letting doctors track medical records and coordinate with hospitals electronically outweighs the risk. [READ MORE ...]

An estimated 85,000 medical lawsuits are filed annually, which include those against hospitals and individual physicians. One of the highly-touted benefits of electronic medical records (EMRs) is the potential to help prevent malpractice incidents and medical errors. By providing better documentation, automatically checking for medication errors and drug interactions, providing failsafe systems to track test results and follow-up with patients, EMRs can dramatically reduce the risk of malpractice.

While the benefits of EMRs are far greater than the cons, no road is without stumbling blocks. A physician who is not careful when using the EMR could increase his malpractice liability.

To learn about some of the possible malpractice risks, click here.