Concerned that providers could not achieve meaningful EHR use in 2011 if they wait until spring 2010 – the expected date of (the Department of Health and Human Services) final approval of requirements – a modular certification approach is being put together under the direction of CCHIT Chairman Mark Leavitt, MD. More details on CCHIT’s modular certification will be released on September 24. The goal is to ensure rapid widespread adoption and meaningful use under the American Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Read more…

Certification will be focused on each IT system’s ability to enable practices and hospitals to collect, store, and exchange health data securely. Meaningful Use is now being specified more directly as the quality and safety improvements and cost savings that result from health IT — among them e-Prescribing, quality and cost reporting, data exchange for care coordination, and patient access to summary health data — which HHS Certification will closely track. ONC will develop an accreditation process and select an organization to accredit certifying organizations, then allow multiple organizations to perform certification testing. Read more…

2009
Feb 17 – President Obama signs the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009

2011
Medicare/Medicaid incentives start for eligible providers

2013
Bonus expires for “early adopter” Physicians
Medicare incentive payments to physicians begin decreasing

2015
Medicare penalties for non-adopters start
Medicare incentives to physicians adopting are no longer available

1. Improve Quality, Safety and Efficiency

2. Engage and Educate Patients

3. Improve Care Coordination

4. Improve Population and Public Health

5. Ensure Privacy and Security Protections

On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Re-investment Act. The opportunity the HITECH provision presents is tremendous. Over $19.5 billion dollars of government capital will be invested in accelerating the rate at which physicians adopt Electronic Health Records while ensuring that the systems deployed protect and safeguard the privacy of critical patient data. The Congressional Budget Office predicts 90% of physicians and 70% of hospitals will be using a comprehensive, robust Electronic Health Record over the next few years. As a result, the country will save billions of dollars on the provision of healthcare, and our citizens will receive coordinated, informed care from their entire network of providers. Payments begin in 2011 to ensure providers have time to optimize their care delivery as they plan to achieve meaningful use and qualify for government incentives.

“If I cut your administrative task time in half, I’ve increased the time you have to see patients by 20 percent.” Speaking in Cambridge at the HIT Symposium at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this Tuesday, Harvard economics professor and Obama campaign advisor David Cutler emphasized that funding the right IT systems and processes could save the economy by making the business of healthcare more efficient while focusing on compensation and empowerment. Read more…

Physicians and other eligible professionals who adopt and use qualified e-prescribing systems to transmit prescriptions to pharmacies may earn an incentive payment of 2 percent of their total Medicare allowed charges during 2009. In addition there is also a 2 percent incentive payment for 2009 for physicians who successfully report measures under the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). Read more…

Defining “Meaningful Use” in the ARRA is critical, because it influences the types of products that will be implemented and the types of standards necessary to qualify for the new healthcare IT stimulus package. Meaningful use will most likely focus on EHR quality and efficiency. Each year, the definition will be expanded, requiring more features and setting the bar higher. Read more…

Welcome to MBS Online! Our IT support phone system has updated from an analog to a digital system to better serve our clients. Look during the coming months for spotlights on our home page featuring dynamic MBS solutions, news, and IT updates.

“A paper medical chart could be at any one of eight or 10 places within a facility at any one time,” said Jerry Luck, director of facilities system administration for the state Department of Health and Human Resources.” Instead of wasting time struggling with paperwork, ERM frees health practitioners in West Virginia to spend more time visiting with their patients. Read more…