Why Practices Should Switch To EHR Software?

Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems are transforming the healthcare industry by automating clinical processes of practices. Moreover, a portion of the 2009 Stimulus Act, the Health Information Technology Act (HITECH), aims to promote and establish EHRs for the whole country by 2014. If practices haven’t made the switch, here’s why they should:

1.   HITECH offers significant incentives (and penalties) based on “meaningful use” of certified EHRs

MeaningfulUse (MU) defines the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) within an organization. 2014 is the last year to acquire Medicare incentives for MU Stage 1 (which begun in 2011).  If a provider fails to start reporting by July 1, 2014, he will not be able meet the 90-day reporting requirement, and subsequently fail to attest by the final October 1, 2014 deadline.

The Medicare penalty kicks in for providers who have failed to adopt EHR software within this deadline. Providers who are unable to start MU within the time bracket will be subjected to a 1% penalty of annual Medicare collections in 2015. The penalty will increase by one percent each year in following years until 2017 after which the penalties will vary depending on the percentage of eligible meaningful users. It should be noted that Medicare is taxable.

Additionally, the Medicaid incentive program will continue until 2016, after which providers will not be able to receive Medicaid benefits.

2.   Benefits for patients and practices

In addition to the legal requirements due to which providers are switching to EHR systems, there are numerous benefits for both the doctor and patient, via a switch to this system.

The clinical procedures of a practice will be made easier, safer and faster via EHR software. Features, for example, e-Labs by which orders and results can be sent and received online, respectively, save valuable time.

Patient portals allow for increased interaction with patients and allow lab results, reports and reminders to be transmitted online. This also saves time for both the practice and patient, in addition to lowering the number of visits a patient has to make to a practice.

Additionally, all the patient history and information is stored on EHR software which reduces errors, multiple tests and enhances the patient’s experience.

Other benefits of EHR systems include increased productivity, accelerated revenue cycle, enhanced compliance and lower costs.

3.   Benefits for the society

The society, as a whole, will also greatly benefit from EHR systems. The government is collecting data for research via these systems. Information on obesity, smoking trends, and other important conditions is being gathered. This information will be analyzed and worked upon to devise methods to counter these problems and to focus on preventive measures.

The article lists some of the most widely talked about benefits of EHR systems and how, on a broader front, the whole country will immensely benefit from adopting EHR software.