Educational Opportunities
WHO’S AFRAID OF THE EHR?
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (or HITECH) Act is designed to encourage the widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs). Physicians will be eligible for up to $44,000 in reimbursements from Medicare and up to $65,000 from Medicaid for “meaningful use” of a “certified” EHR, starting in 2011.
Despite this financial benefit — and the other practice benefits promised by EHR adoption — many physicians are afraid that their practices will be severely, and perhaps even fatally, disrupted during the process of EHR adoption. They are also troubled by the large upfront costs that many traditional EHRs require for hardware, software, interfaces, and IT support — all without a clear return on investment. Finally, they fear that, instead of making their work easier, an EHR will be difficult to use, will slow them down, and will take them away from their patients.
athenahealth, Inc., has prepared an article that addresses those fears up front and shows how adopting the wrong EHR, or none at all, can have significant consequences.