| In the march towards making all medical records | | | | allocated approximately $20 billion for use by |
| electronic there have been many obstacles to | | | | physicians for EMR related expenses. These funds |
| overcome, not the least of which is the question | | | | are to be paid as "incentives" resulting in increased |
| of funding such a mandate. The herculean task of | | | | Medicare and Medicaid payments to physicians |
| assuring compliance with the proposed federal | | | | who show "meaningful use" of these systems and |
| guidelines for the use of electronic medical records | | | | data. These incentives will start being paid in 2011 |
| (EMR) comes with a hefty price tag. The | | | | and will continue for a 5 year period. Any |
| expenses to hospitals and private physicians | | | | physician who fails to show meaningful use will be |
| include not only the price of the software and | | | | penalized by declining Medicare and Medicaid |
| technical support, but also the contracted | | | | payments. The maximum that may be received |
| manpower to enter all current data into the | | | | is $44K per provider. |
| electronic system. Finally, measures have to be | | | | The key term here is "meaningful use". Now just |
| taken to ensure that all the different electronic | | | | what constitutes meaningful use is a little |
| records software programs are compatible with | | | | convoluted. The "Standards & Certification |
| each other. | | | | Interim Final Rule: Initial Set of Standards, |
| Paying for this added expense has been of great | | | | Implementation Specifications, and Certification |
| concern to not only the medical community but | | | | Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology" |
| also the American taxpayers who will ultimately | | | | has a mere 136 pages with the meaningful use |
| be footing the bill. Back on August 20th of 2009 | | | | interim final rule being 556 pages long for a total |
| Vice President Joe Biden, HHS Secretary Kathleen | | | | of 692 pages of proposed regulations and |
| Sebelius and national health IT coordinator Dr. | | | | guidelines. A lot of information can be gleaned |
| David Blumenthal met in Chicago to announce the | | | | from this publication but most of it is in legalese |
| $1.2 billion in federal grants that are available to | | | | and doesn't clearly define any fast rules. It is |
| promote EMR use and software interoperability. | | | | more of a set of standards by which bureaucrats |
| Additionally, of the $500 million in Recovery Act | | | | will make individual determinations on a case by |
| funding the Social Security Administration (SSA) | | | | case basis. |
| received to administer disability and retirement | | | | Presumably, funding allocations will be addressed in |
| payments, up to $40 million has been earmarked | | | | the final drafts of the new health care reform bill. |
| for use on EMR systems to process disability | | | | Since this is a somewhat fluid process with a 5 |
| claims. | | | | year outlook towards full compliance, the fluidity |
| The "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" | | | | of financing options is also a very real prospect. |