What does the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act do for me? This act will allocate approximately 19.2 billion dollars to accelerate the use of electronic medical record systems(EMR) by physicians and hospitals. Using an EMR system will provide many benefits to your patients and practice, such as:Enhanced quality of healthcare
Improved patient health information security
Expanded coordination of care between physicians, hospitals and labs
Reduced healthcare costs
The incentives are determined on a per eligible provider basis. Funds will be distributed through Medicare or Medicaid to eligible providers based off the calendar year and paid the following year. The incentive payments will begin in 2011.
The act also allows for payment adjustments beginning in the year 2015 and continuing on in the following years for providers of services who were not a meaningful EMR user. The reduction would start with 1 percent and can go as high as 5 percent.
What is an eligible provider (EP)? Eligible professionals are designated in the act as only those defined in the Social Security Act - which includes a doctor of medicine, osteopathy, surgery, dental medicine, podiatric medicine, optometry or a chiropractor.
What do I need to do to receive incentive payments from Medicare? Demonstrate meaningful use of a certified EMR/EHR
What does "meaningful use" and "certified EMR/EHR" mean? The qualification criteria for the incentives are still in development and are anticipated to be announced by the end of December 2009. This rule is expected to define HIT standards, policies, implementation specifications, time frames, and certification requirements.
Now that you know the basics, you need to start looking for the right software for your office. Sage Intergy EHR V5.5 is CCHIT 2008 certified, national EMR system, is Bradford-Scott Data Corporation's flagship product. We provide excellent customer support and service for practice management and electronic medical record software - give us a call and let us help you on your way.
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