Seattle USEAC |
Electronic Medical Records Stimulus Reimbursement
Electronic medical records are a computerized system to store patient medical data and patient demographic information on a server. The information is searchable and retrieved through searching on the meta data contained in the patient demographic information. Electronic medical records software provides many advantages for a healthcare practice. There is significant cost saving when replacing the old paper-based system of charts. Once the EMR system is implemented, the paper records may be converted to PDF files through a medical records scanning process. The PDF views may then be attached to the EMR record. This allows the medical practice to get rid of the old paper charts through shredding which results is significant savings in rental space. Electronic medical records also reduce medical errors. This is due to the fact that records are no longer lost or misplaced. Therefore, the physician is sure to review the patient history before providing treatment.
Electronic Medical Records Stimulus Reimbursement
The American Recovery Act contains a provision called the HITECH Act which provides nineteen billion dollars in funding for doctor’s to purchase EMR software. In order to be qualified for stimulus reimbursement, a doctor must attest to that software meets meaning use criteria as defined by the Department of Health Human Services (HHS). The software must also be HHS Certified to receive stimulus money.