Which EMR / EHR?

EMR and EHR are the hot buzz words now a days. With all the talk of free money going around, who isn't excited? Essentially, the government has created an interest in an incentive program that has a clear cut implementation deadline and attractive pay schedules but lacks decisive standards, implementation criteria and software certification measures. We know we want it, we know how much we can potentially get, but no body really knows how exactly to get it! Come on Gov! "Show me the money!"

There have been announcements of specific criteria that the software solution (EHR) must meet in order to even be considered for the incentive program. Such solutions must either meet the ARRA specifications or, as it is speculated, meet the CCHIT certification. CCHIT is expected to be chosen certify body for EHRs. What this means is that non-certified solutions won't even be considered. Why should they? Physicians will see a plethora of fully certified solutions that all essentially do the same things. There will be a checklist of certified criteria and each vendor will deal with the devil to earn that stamp of approval. Its competition! This is free market at its best! The consumers will benefit as the vendors improve their products to meet standards and certification. So now its easy right? Just go out and buy the cheapest certified solution and you're set, because.. well, its certified and it will do everything the government wanted it to do for my practice, right? That's all there is to it. Well, not exactly.

First, if all you're interested in is getting some free money, then really that is all you need to worry about. Presently, Medicare and Medicaid have different qualifications on meeting certain performance metrics to qualify for the free $$$. The difference... quite simply, is that Medicare requires performance metrics during Stage 1 whereas Medicaid does not! So, if your practice sees about 24k in Medicaid patients... it appears that you're golden to receive the full blown $$$. All you have to do is utilize a certified product and you can get Stage 1 moola. If you're a physician who doesn't really care about revolutionizing your office, about making a transition to digital or about utilizing this technology for patient safety and improved patient outcomes... if this is only a strategy to get some government dollars, just buy the cheapest certified EHR and you'll be rolling in the free money!

to be continued...