May 14, 2009
Healthcare Technology Companies Launch National Physician Education Program on Stimulus and Electronic Health Records
"EHR Stimulus Alliance" which includes Allscripts, Cisco, Citrix, Dell, Intel, Intuit, Microsoft Corp., and Nuance, Will deliver education programs to physicians across the U.S.
Allscripts announced the formation of a coalition of technology innovation leaders who are partnering to educate 500,000 U.S. physicians about opportunities aligned with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The Act details President Obama's plan to improve healthcare quality, safety and efficiency through the secure exchange of electronic health information and the adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHR) and associated technologies. By connecting physicians, hospitals, pharmacies, payers, public health organizations and other stakeholders across healthcare, information technologies such as the EHR can improve the management of chronic health conditions that account for about 75 percent of U.S. healthcare costs, and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of U.S. healthcare.
Surveys indicate that, while large numbers of physicians are familiar with the basic tenets of the federal incentive program, many do not know the details, including how much money they are eligible to receive, when it will be allocated, how they can qualify, how to meet ARRA's requirements for information exchange, or the cost of implementing an Electronic Health Records. The EHR Stimulus Tour will provide the answers via executive briefings, roundtables, trade show presentations, webcasts, and local meetings bringing physicians together with Alliance experts and medical groups that have already successfully adopted Electronic Health Records.
Under the ARRA, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will pay the incentives to physicians over five years, beginning in fiscal 2011. Physicians who have not adopted certified Electronic Health Record systems by 2014 will have their Medicare reimbursements reduced by 1 percent beginning in 2015; 2 percent in 2016; and by up to 3 percent in 2017 and thereafter. According to a Congressional Budget Office review of the law, the incentives will drive up to 90 percent of U.S. physicians to adopt Electronic Health Records in the next decade.
EHR Stimulus Page and Resource Center
Additional information on Alliance members and Press Release
Posted by rsk at May 14, 2009 08:52 PM