There are many opinions on President Obama's ability to ensure that all medical records in the United States are converted to the electronic format by 2014, but there is no denying that an increased adoption of EMR or electronic health records by physicians, healthcare organizations and their related organizations is now a gradually increasing certainty.
A fairly recent piece of legislation further underlines the initiative to move to the electronic platform for storing patient medical records, the American Recovery and Reinvestment or the ARRA. This legislation aims to do more money, including a network of incentives that can be provided directly to healthcare professionals or physicians who can adopt EMR by 2014 and adhere to the idea of "meaningful use" of electronic health records.
The year 2014 is also critical in view of the potential sanctions imposed from 2015 on entities dealing with health care facts for patients who are unable to upgrade themselves to electronic record technologies. Legislation such as the ARRA and the entire EMR advertising and marketing campaign is consistent with the principle that electronic records provide the combined benefit of securing patient information and reducing healthcare costs - two irrefutable benefits.
It should be noted that the proposed fine is 1% in 2015 and this can almost certainly be improved incrementally, up to 5% in the coming years. Most penalties will likely come in the form of reduced Medicare and Medicaid benefits. To attract the right funding, all entities applying for EMR healthcare funding must understand and demonstrate the "meaningful use" of patient medical records as well as the use of "certified EMR" technologies. This essentially describes how the EMR vendor chosen by a healthcare provider/clinic or its organization employees must comply with the regulations established in this niche as well as the standards established by HIPPA's security rule.
The government is serious about ensuring that the conversion rate to EMR technologies is significant and so, in addition to grants and federal funding, many more programs will be developed at the university level to induct more Health Details Management professionals as 2014 approaches. This will ensure that the looming explosion of electronic record numbers is met with the availability of qualified professionals, further helping to reduce the overall cost of using healthcare PC technologies and easing the entire process.
Comments
Post a Comment