There are so many changes being talked about in the US healthcare industry that it is almost impossible to agree on anything at this point!  There are major changes affecting the medical records and documentation processes, insurance claims and disbursements, privacy laws and the list goes on.  E-Dictate is in the business of handling medical records (specifically transcription service and document management). So, the next few updates and Blogs and Whitepapers will be focused on issues related to medical records, transcription, EMRs, EHRs and the like.  

In the Last six months. . .

President Obama signed Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act (part of the stimulus package known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Feb 17^th 2009. The Department of Health and Human Services named Dr. David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P. as the Obama Administration’s choice for National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. As the new National Coordinator, Dr. Blumenthal will lead the implementation of a nationwide interoperable, privacy-protected health information technology infrastructure as called for in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Blumenthal and his team will also be instrumental in setting the various standards and reporting policies for participation in the HITECH Act.

The act includes up to $44,000 in total incentives per physician under Medicare for “meaningful use” of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) starting in 2011. (Note: Physicians reimbursed by Medicaid can receive up to $63,500 starting in 2011 based on state-defined guidelines).

What it means for a Physician Practice

• Use a “certified” EHR: The act does not specify what “certification” will mean or who will provide certification. (Note: there is general consensus that the certifying organization will be the independent Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT)). What the act does specify is that to be qualified as a certified EHR, the certified technology must include patient demographic and clinical health information and have the capacity to provide clinical decision and physician order entry. Many clinics are in a hurry to switch to any EMR/EHR. We believe it is prudent to wait before jumping on this bandwagon. Things are still in a flux, and, we will all benefit from clarity in the coming months.

• Demonstrate “meaningful use” of an EHR: Health and Human Services (HHS) will be defining what “meaningful use” means in the year ahead. The following conditions for “meaningful use” have already been identified. The EHR should:

a. Use e-Prescribing: This means that the EHR must allow physicians to prescribe over the Internet.

b. Electronically exchange information: This is somewhat explanatory. EHR should be able to exchange clinical information with labs, hospitals and providers electronically over a secure network. Many EHR's today offer this feature. So, it should not be an issue for a practice to choose an EHR that comes with this capability.

c. Submit clinical quality measures: The EHR should use software technologies that include features such as Pay for Performance and programs for performance optimization, etc. to continually make a Practice more efficient and reduce the ongoing cost of patient care.

We believe that HITECH Act is clearly an ideal opportunity for physicians to use EHRs effectively. As a transcription service company, we see more and more medical records becoming a part of an EHR. E-Dictate has already built interfaces with many EMRs that enable seamless transfer of transcripts into the EHR. As a transcription service company, we are prepared to embrace coming of EMRs in the US healthcare arena.  We will continue to work forge more partnerships with EHR and EMR companies in the coming months.