Despite the funding incentives recently passed in the economic stimulus to encourage physician EMR adoption, some within the industry think that the current economic challenges, such as reduced capital and decreasing patient volume, may still hold back the physicians who have been hesitant up to this point, for whatever reason, to make the investment into EMR integration. From HealthDataManagement.com:

“The federal I.T. incentive plan may appear to be an enormous carrot, dangling potentially tens of thousands of dollars before physician practices that adopt clinical I.T.

“Yet, given the woeful state of the economy, after-the-fact adoption incentives alone may not be enough to motivate physician practices to join the digital fold, observes Tim Zoph, vice president and CIO at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago.

“Given the state of the economy, with a drop off in patient volume, many physicians feel their practices are at risk,” he notes. “As we talk about payment incentives, it is a difficult notion for practices to think about the amount of investment and change they must make when the economy is not doing well.”

Read the full article: “Does Stimulus Misread Physician Economics?” Another article on this site reports that consultants are recommending that smaller physician group practices interested in grabbing financial incentives under the economic stimulus package should strongly consider buying electronic health records software with a partner who has greater purchasing power. On the other hand, other EMR implementation industry consultants are advising that provider organizations hoping to get Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments for “meaningful” use of electronic health records need to start working right now to be ready in time.

Other healthcare decision makers are echoing this sentiment:

“Hospitals and physicians should begin planning the rollout of electronic health records systems now to gain maximum financial incentives under the federal economic stimulus package. That’s the advice of H. Stephen Lieber, president and CEO of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Chicago. (read more here)”

Lieber goes on to say that although the stimulus package includes some funding for grants and loans, most providers will have to make their own upfront investments in technology. Whatever the outcome, the majority of the industry is praising the recent HITECH funding package and setting up information and support networks to help physicians make the switch, such as McKesson’s Achieve IT physician information site. More updates and commentary soon.

McKesson Healthcare recently announced a great resource for physicians who need information about the recent Health IT stimulus funding, such as:

• how to take advantage of the funding and incentives
• which EMR software systems are certified and approved under the legislation
• how to select, purchase and implement an EMR
• what their first steps need to be and much more

This release, issued last week, gives a detailed description of the newly launched support network for physicians who need to adopt an EMR:

McKesson® Launches Information Resources to Help Physicians Take Advantage of Economic Stimulus

“McKesson’s unique ability to support large health systems and small community hospitals as well as employed physicians and independent physician groups of all sizes puts us in a unique position to drive and advise this critical healthcare transformation,” Pure continued. “It’s important for providers to begin this work now in order to benefit from the incentives when they take effect in 20 months.”

Read the full release here. Visit the Achieve IT Physician EMR Information site here.

The authentic version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has been released, which is the final version that the government will use in as it implements provisions of the law. This includes the much anticipated Health IT funding package for EMR adoption, called the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act or the HITECH Act.

The section most physicians are concerned with, the funding for EMR adoption, reads:

“In addition, the legislation provides significant financial incentives through the Medicare and Medicaid programs to encourage doctors and hospitals to adopt and use certified electronic health records. Physicians will be eligible for $40,000 to $65,000 for showing that they are meaningfully using health information technology, such as through the reporting of quality measures. Hospitals will be eligible for several million dollars in the Medicaid and Medicare programs to similarly use health information technology. Federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, children’s hospitals and others will be eligible for funding through the Medicaid program.

“Incentive payments for both physicians and hospitals continue for several years, but are phased out over time. Eventually, Medicare payments are reduced for physicians and hospitals that do not use a certified electronic health records that allow them to electronically communicate with others.

“The legislation also provides additional funds to States for low-interest loans to help providers finance health information technology and grants to regional health information exchanges to unite local providers. Grants are also offered for the development and adoption of electronic health records for providers other than physicians and hospitals.”

You can read a full version of the economic stimulus bill here, or read the official HITECH portion of the bill here. Physicians who need information about how to capitalize on the benefits of this legislation can visit the Achieve IT EMR adoption information site here or call the Achieve IT hotline at 1-877-EHR-1MCK.

A lot of physicians still have questions about the incentive payments for doctors outlined in the recent Health IT funding package. The funding provides for incentive funding for physicians adopting certified electronic medical records – upwards of $40,000 per physician starting in 2011.

This post gives a good summary of how the funds are to be distributed, as well as some more information about how the bill defines certified electronic medical records:

“It looks as if there will be a new set of certification criteria for “qualified electronic health records” that meet the new features defined in the bill. Given the dollars involved, providers will want to adopt products that meet the bonus criteria. To do so, they must understand what is a “qualified record” and what it means to “effectively use” one. The legislation defines a qualified electronic record as one that:

• Includes patient demographic and clinical health information, such as medical history and problem lists
• Has the capacity to provide clinical decision support; allow physician order entry; capture and query information relevant to health care quality; and exchange and integrate electronic health information with other sources.
• The legislation leaves some of the ability to define meaningful use of the certified EHR up to the HHS regulators, but it requires the participating providers to submit clinical quality measures and be “connected for the electronic exchange of health information to improve the quality of health care, such as promoting care coordination.”

“The bonuses for adoption and use break down to about $15,000 the first year and declining each year to about $2,000 in the fifth year, with a maximum payout of more than $40,000.”

Read the full post: “Stimulus bill offers docs big incentives for technology, but demands effective use“.

Physicians who still have questions can contact the EMR Hotline at Practice Partner to learn how they can qualify for a maximum of up to $64,000 in reimbursement under the Medicare and Medicaid portions of the Stimulus Plan. Call ‘Achieve HIT’ at 1-877-EHR-1MCK.

A recent study just presented yet another benefit of EMR software platforms: testing prescription drug efficacy. From FierceHealthIt:

“A new study has concluded that electronic medical records can be as effective as randomized clinical trials in evaluating drug efficacy.

“The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, compared six previously completed randomized trials with 17 measured outcomes drawn from data in the United Kingdom’s general practice research database. The UK database contains medical records for about eight million patients.”

Read more about the study here. Learn more about EMR software from Practice Partner here.

McKesson Healthcare and Practice Partner EMR software have set up a hotline for physicians to ask questions and get answers about the recent funding allocated for HealthIT and nationwide EMR adoption in the Economic Stimulus Legislation.

Learn how physicians can qualify for a maximum of up to $64,000 in reimbursement under the Medicare and Medicaid portions of the Stimulus Plan. Call ‘Achieve HIT’ at 1-877-EHR-1MCK or visit: www.mckesson.com/doctors.

From a press release on Medical News Today:

The Electronic Health Records Association (EHR Association), in partnership with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), supports the compromise legislation to provide economic stimulus through funding of health information technology (HIT), promulgation of standards and enhancements to privacy regulations, as signed into as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

“We have worked closely with the US House of Representatives, US Senate and industry partners to provide information on the practical application of HIT throughout the development of this important economic recovery package,” said Justin Barnes, EHR Association Chairman. “It’s not just about greater adoption of electronic health records, which, of course, are an important infrastructure component of the stimulus package, but, more fundamentally, we want to ensure Americans are afforded the real benefits of interoperable health IT and EHRs, which are proven to save lives, reduce costs and increase access to quality care.”

The EHR Association represents 41 member companies who are the major suppliers of electronic health record systems (EHRs) in the United States. EHR Association members have worked closely with physician practices and hospitals to successfully deploy thousands of EHRs, helping to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery.

“High quality, certified EHRs are ready for implementation today, and in fact are being implemented successfully throughout the United States,” Barnes added. “The incentives and grants to healthcare organizations in this legislation will require that our customers demonstrate “meaningful use” of certified EHR technologies. We understand the dedication required to implement EHRs and to meet the “meaningful use” criterion, and we’re prepared to support those efforts immediately. The time is now for physicians, hospitals and other eligible providers who have not yet adopted certified EHRs to do so in order to be eligible for the new incentives, grants and loans as soon as they are available.”

A recent survey of more than 1800 physicians also report that physicians support the HealthIT funds allocated in the new stimulus legislation:

“The survey of 1,888 physicians, medical group executives and staff reveals a consensus among medical groups that funding is critical, with 82 percent of respondents strongly agreeing that the government should provide funding for electronic health records in the economic stimulus package.

“The survey also confirms that existing incentive programs managed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that are designed to encourage hospitals to donate EHRs to physicians and to spur adoption of electronic prescribing have been effective.

“Though respondents agreed that federal funding is needed for healthcare IT adoption, they were split on how funding could best be used, with some supporting grants toward the purchase of EHRs and others in favor of incentives to encourage EHR adoption.”

Read the full article: “Physicians support stimulus package initiatives, Allscripts survey shows“.

McKesson’s Practice Partner electronic medical record and practice management software has been named one of three preferred vendors by the Council of Community Clinics located in San Diego, CA.  The Council of Community Clinics provides centralized support services to a 17 member community clinic and health center organizations operating nearly 100 sites in San Diego, Imperial and Riverside counties.

“We went through a major selection process that started with 300 vendors.  We then narrowed it down and Practice Partner was a top choice,” said Richard Swafford, PhD, Chief Information Officer with the Council.

The Council also works with McKesson’s medical-surgical team and offers its members a number of programs and group purchasing options. Practice Partner software will now be included on the preferred vendor list for several hundred physicians and other members with the Council.

Learn mort about Practice Partner EMR software here.

Moses Lake Community Health Clinic - FQHC uses Practice Partner EMR to expand reporting and improve quality of care

Moses Lake Community Health Center (MLCHC) is a 20-provider group with two locations in rural Washington state. Despite a challenging patient population consisting of both the underserved and a large number of migrant workers, MLCHC has achieved quality of care standards ratings that are among the highest in the state. McKesson’s Practice Partner electronic medical record (EMR) has been instrumental to their success and has allowed them to accomplish the following:

• Annual savings of over $100,000 in lower transcription costs
• Award-winning and top rated in state for quality improvement
• The percentage of fully immunized children rose to 91% for 2-year-olds and 88% for 13-year-olds.

At a Glance
Organization: Moses Lake Community Health Center, Moses Lake, WA.

– 20 providers, 2 locations
– Provides family medicine, pediatrics and OB to underserved and migrant worker populations
– 21,500 patients generating 98,000 encounters per year
– 200+ work stations

Solution Spotlight
– McKesson’s Practice Partner® Patient Records
– McKesson’s Practice Partner® Appointment Scheduler
– McKesson’s Practice Partner®

Order Entry
– Lab Results Interface (Quest)
– Hospital Reports Interface (Meditech via Inland Northwest Health Service)

Critical Issues
– Transition to a paperless chart environment
– Need to provide detailed data and performance reports and chart audits to numerous funding sources
– Need to expand and improve quality of care initiatives

Results
– Annual savings of over $100,000 in lower transcription costs
– Time for chart audits reduced from several days to four hours
– Award-winning and top rated in state for quality improvement.

Read the full case study here: “Moses Lake Community Health Clinic.”

A recent article from Medical Technology Journal cites increased physician use of Twitter as a networking medium:

In a 1990 interview, Dr. Richard Selzer explained why he was suited to short stories rather than novels. “The short story is rather like a surgical operation,” he said. “It has a beginning, middle, and an end—at least my stories all do: you make an incision, you rummage around inside for a little while, then you stitch it up.”

“That quote neatly summarizes the feelings of both extreme time pressure that most doctors have felt for the last few decades, and also the temperament of some practitioners, who prefer their professional communications to be short, sweet, and to the point.

“This may be why Twitter, an application that is Web-based and can also be used on cell phones, seems to have potential for physicians. Joshua Schwimmer, a New York-based nephrologist who pens The Efficient M.D. blog, says that Twitter use is starting to take off among physicians. “The medical blogging community has just exploded over the past three years, and the community of physicians on Twitter is slowly becoming equally as varied and active and interesting,” he says.”

Read the full article “Twitter: Fast social networking for medical practitioners.”. According to CNN.com, surgeons are even tweeting from the operating room!

Practice Partner EMR Software also provides updates on EMR news, resources and valuable content for physicians via Twitter. Follow us here!