Ehrs in Health Care
EHRs in Health Care x x x
Abstract In 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) was passed into law mandating interoperable Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption throughout the United States health care system for all providers who serve Medicare or Medicaid patients. The HITECH Act sets “meaningful use” requirements, goals, and objectives, and gives specific timelines for which to achieve them. As an incentive to expedite the process, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has offered monetary rewards for those facilities and physicians who are taking steps to implement an EHR system by 2015. Beginning in 2015, CMS will penalize facilities and physicians who have not implemented an EHR system. One of the stipulations of receiving the incentive money is demonstrating “meaningful use”, or utilizing EHR technology in a meaningful way that improves patient care. Meaningful use has three stages, each focusing on different areas of patient care. There are several advantages and disadvantages of implementing an EHR system, but the benefits greatly outweigh the risks. The HITECH Act is one of the most important pieces of health care legislation to date and has been called the “foundation for health care reform” (Blavin & Ormond, 2011).
In 2004, the Bush administration introduced a plan to ensure that the medical profession completely converts to electronic health records (EHR). This plan was passed into law by the Obama administration in 2009 under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), which is a provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) (Kwami, n.d.). This Act is essentially a $27 billion stimulus package meant to accelerate health care information technology in the United States. It allows the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to offer financial
Abstract In 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) was passed into law mandating interoperable Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption throughout the United States health care system for all providers who serve Medicare or Medicaid patients. The HITECH Act sets “meaningful use” requirements, goals, and objectives, and gives specific timelines for which to achieve them. As an incentive to expedite the process, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has offered monetary rewards for those facilities and physicians who are taking steps to implement an EHR system by 2015. Beginning in 2015, CMS will penalize facilities and physicians who have not implemented an EHR system. One of the stipulations of receiving the incentive money is demonstrating “meaningful use”, or utilizing EHR technology in a meaningful way that improves patient care. Meaningful use has three stages, each focusing on different areas of patient care. There are several advantages and disadvantages of implementing an EHR system, but the benefits greatly outweigh the risks. The HITECH Act is one of the most important pieces of health care legislation to date and has been called the “foundation for health care reform” (Blavin & Ormond, 2011).
In 2004, the Bush administration introduced a plan to ensure that the medical profession completely converts to electronic health records (EHR). This plan was passed into law by the Obama administration in 2009 under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), which is a provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) (Kwami, n.d.). This Act is essentially a $27 billion stimulus package meant to accelerate health care information technology in the United States. It allows the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to offer financial
References: Benefits of EHRs. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/improved-care-coordination Blavin, F., & Ormond, B. (2011, May). HITECH, meaningful use, and public health: Funding opportunities for state immunization registries [White paper]. Retrieved from http://www.medicaidhitechta.org/Portals/0/Users/011/11/11/ImmunRegWhitePaper.pdf Kwami, K. K. (n.d.). The EMR federal requirements of physicians. Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http://www.ehow.com/list_6961848_emr-federal-requirements-physicians.html Making the switch: Replacing your EHR for more money and more control [White paper]. (2010, September). Retrieved from http://www.healthcareitnews.com/sites/default/files/ resource-media/pdf/making_the_switch_replacing_your_ehr.pdf Meaningful use 101. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http://www.medicity.com/meaningful-use-101.html Menachemi, N., & Collum, T. H. (2011, May 11). Benefits and drawbacks of electronic health record systems. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3270933/ Murphy, K. (2012, May 9). American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Retrieved from http://ehrintelligence.com/glossary/american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act-arra/ Pay for performance payment systems that reward or penalize hospitals based on performance. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http://www.getwellnetwork.com/services/health-reform/pay-performance What are the advantages of electronic health records? (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/what-are-advantages-electronic-health-records