Electronic medical records (EMRs) promise to revolutionize the medical industry by reducing healthcare costs, simplifying recordkeeping practices, increasing the ability to share information and eliminating errors. But according to a 2009 report by IVANS – a supplier of EDI and network services to the insurance industry – up to 80 percent of physicians have reported that a lack of available funds is the main obstacle to implementing EMRs in many facilities. The Obama administration has, however, publicly supported the adoption of electronic records, and here we’ve outlined how last year’s $787 billion stimulus package supports current efforts to computerize the nation’s hospitals and physician’s offices.
The stimulus package has allocated $45 billion to helping the healthcare industry adopt electronic medical records, and requires the government to determine which software systems will be most beneficial and why. This process, aptly described as determining “Meaningful Use,” is still unfolding, with the main point of discussion currently revolving around deciding upon the speed at which physician groups, hospitals and technology vendors would be required to convert to digital recordkeeping systems.
Under the terms of the stimulus package, physician practices could receive up to $44,000 over a five-year period, while hospitals could receive a maximum of $15.9 million, to install EMR systems that meet “Meaningful Use” requirements. In contrast, the government would ultimately impose penalties on providers who do not choose to convert to electronic medical records by 2015, beginning with reducing Medicaid and Medicare payments by 1 percent in that year (and growing to 3 percent in subsequent years).
Whether or not systems are adequately “Certified” under the new standards that have been set by the stimulus package is also an integral issue for physicians hoping to receive incentives to adopt EMR software. Previously, certification was outsourced to a commission founded by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and was largely voluntary. But despite more than three years of certification, many EMR software systems are still not set up to communicate easily with one another, which has spurred the commission to turn its focus to ensuring that the certification process serves as a way to determine who will be eligible for stimulus funds.
Although some reports claim that seven out of 10 healthcare providers think EMRs would positively affect their practices, their patients and the industry as a whole, some physicians are still left wondering where to begin. On the other hand, many others are already making investments in IT initiatives. Whichever category you (and your practice) falls into, these new technologies will alter the medical landscape of this country and affect the way healthcare professionals provide patient care in the months and years to come.
Electronic medical records (EMR) promise to transform how we will handle the many challenges of medical care in the new millennium. Medical experts from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds already agree that digitizing patients’ medical records can help to improve – and bring down the cost of – medical care, so now it’s simply a matter of making it happen! Here are some of the benefits of using electronic medical records.
Efficiency
Some large medical groups, consisting of hundreds – even thousands – of physicians, already use digital records. These have proven to better manage care for patients, especially those with the most costly chronic ailments. Doctors who use EMR can retrieve a patient’s entire medical history in mere seconds, eliminating the need to sift through a disintegrating paper file in order to determine past cholesterol, blood pressure or blood glucose levels. EMR software can also quickly and easily give detailed information about a patient’s allergies, past medical procedures and the current medication they are taking, to name only a few. In this way, comprehensive EMR systems can drastically improve physician efficiency and, consequently, the level of patient care.
Safety
Digital recordkeeping also happens to be one of the safest ways to preserve vital (and often sensitive) personal medical information. Unlike the fixed paper format so many doctors have used in the past, EMR are virtually indestructible as long as proper backup procedures and the latest anti-virus protection are employed. In addition, EMR software can alert physicians via email, phone or pager if the electronic data generated by the systems monitoring a patient suddenly transmits a need for immediate medical attention. Thus, EMR software not only protects and preserves a patient’s privacy, but it adds significantly to the level of immediate care each patient receives.
Cost
Luckily, the government sees the need to improve recordkeeping in medical offices and realizes that electronic medical records are the best way to do it. New financial incentives have been introduced via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to aid doctors in shouldering the cost. The Federal stimulus package contains $19 billion to help increase the use of EMR in doctors’ offices. The funds are available through Medicare and Medicaid, which have separate criteria and requirements that must be met in order to receive assistance.
When it comes to EMR, the good news is that the necessary technology itself is already widely available, so now it’s simply a matter of getting the entire medical community on board! One thing is for sure – there’s no doubt that EMR will bring unprecedented data about the medical history of patients directly to doctors’ fingertips.
Like many previous groundbreaking technologies, EMR are truly revolutionizing the healthcare industry and changing the way it handles the medical history of patients.