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Posts Tagged ‘Electronic Health Records’

Thanks to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus), passed by Federal Government in 2009, healthcare professionals can get to benefit through various incentive programs, associated with EHR adoption.

Electronic health record

For all care facilities/professionals that are meaningfully using electronic health records, this is their time for these financial incentives (Medicaid, and Medicare); if you have not yet digitized your healthcare setting with an electronic medical record, then you have the time to go for it.

Adopt an EHR, and get to enjoy a safe and effective work-space for improved productivity/efficiency, to better quality of care and treatment; decide, you want incentives through EHR adoption, or prefer to get penalized by?!

Please not, penalties and incentives vary for both the programs – Medicaid, and Medicare that a medical professional is eligible for. You cannot qualify for both the programs, at a time, as can go with any one.

Under Medicaid (care for the needy) program, there is no penalty, and maximum incentive payment is $63,750 (over 6 years), per eligible professional; besides, with the Medicare program, be prepared with the penalty of payment reductions (1%-5%; 1% increase every year), if are not found meaningfully using EHRs by 2015; on the other, the maximum incentive for eligible professionals under this program is $44,000 over 5 years.

So, what are you thinking about? Do not delay, and just go for it – digitize your care unit, for incentive benefits, and to better health outcomes!

For details about various EMR Companies that you could go for, stay connected with MedicExchange!

Do you have a digitized work-culture? Are you confused about right type of an EMR for your organization?

Electronic Medical Record

If yes, then we understand your state of uncertainty, in deciding companies/vendors that offer EMR software and other related medical practice management systems.

Positive and negative attributes with any software/system is always associated; you perhaps may be apprehensive about, how the system will turn up for you, and contemplating over – EMR implementation cost, training, this and that.

On this note, we would like to let you know that, in contrast to any paper-based work-culture that you are comfortable with, an EMR would allow you more to streamline your work-space with. To document, manage and archive medical records on paper can be hectic and time-consuming, but you can overcome this burden opting for an EMR, today!

Yes, how big or small your organization may be – you can definitely expect an EMR for your care facility, to get seamlessly connected to varied health information network systems. Companies/vendors in this segment would extend forth customized solutions for various specialty-specific requirements that you may have; if budget or training is a concern for you, then do not worry, as we will help you make a favorable decision for technology adoption, to transform your healthcare unit!

So, whether for a client/server system or a web-based EMR, get expert consultation prior you decide to go for one; stay tuned with MedicExchange for details about various EMR companies, software/practice management systems, and related.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ( CMS ), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced on Apr-26th, 2010 that, Washington’s Medicaid program will receive federal matching funds for state planning activities required to utilize the electronic health record (EHR) incentive program formed by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). Washington is entitled to approximately $967,000 in federal matching funds.

EHRs are expected to serve the purpose of improving general health care for the people of Washington. These records are meant to fit in conveniently with various providers treating a Medicaid patient subject to care. Decision making comes in handy with EHRs. The Recovery Act provides a 90 percent federal match for state planning activities to administer the incentive payments to Medicaid assistants, to make sure of their payments through audits and statewide participation to promote “meaningful use” and work-structure within the block of EHR technology across Washington.

Washington intends to make full use of its federal matching funds for planning activities that include organising a detailed analysis to understand the recent situation of Health IT activities in the state. Data on issues such as existing barriers to its use of EHRs, provider eligibility for EHR incentive payments, and the creation of a State Medicaid HIT Plan, which will define the state’s vision for its long-term HIT use will taken into account.

We congratulate Washington for qualifying for these federal matching funds to assist its plan for implementing the Recovery Act’s EHR incentive program, Meaningful and interoperable use of EHRs in Medicaid will increase health care efficiency, reduce medical errors and improve quality-outcomes and patient satisfaction within and across the states.” said Cindy Mann, director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations at CMS.

Other States who recieved similar funding include:

• New Mexico will be assigned about $405,000 for the EHR planning work.
• Missouri will receive approximately $1.53 million in federal matching funds.
• Puerto Rico will receive approximately $1.80 million in federal matching funds.
• Oregon will receive approximately $3.53 million in federal matching funds.

President Obama signed a bill to law on 16th April 2010, to stretch the eligibility criteria of the EHR incentive program for physicians in hospital outpatient departments or in hospital-affiliated clinics, who would not have been otherwise eligible for the above mentioned incentives under the Centers for Medicare and Medic-aid Services’(CMS).

HANYS and HANYS’ HIT Strategy Group insisted on expansion of the EHR plan for the out-patient medical practitioners along with CMS, important members from the Congress board, committees of jurisdicition in partnership with AHA and President Obama’s Adminstration.

The bill is meant to expand unpaid or lapsed unemployment insurance benefits and higher subsidies for individuals buying health insurance through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). Provisions to delay a Medicare physician fee schedule until the end of May is also proposed in this bill.

According to HANYS, “all-or-nothing” requirements must be flexed out for hospitals and physicians to fit the EHR incentive bill criteria. Failure to meet the requirements by 2015 may affect Medicare payment penalties. They further pressed on EHR incentive base payment should be made to all Hospitals, with or without a Medicare provider number with other institutions.