Physician practices may be eligible to receive up to $64,000 for each eligible provider who can demonstrate meaningful use of EHR. Practices and providers who cannot demonstrate meaningful use of EHR by 2015 will be penalized through reductions in Medicare reimbursements.

Adopting EHR simply makes good business sense for most practices. The benefits of moving from paper to electronic patient records include:

• Greater efficiency and higher profits.

• More accurate logging and maintenance of patient data.

• Easier sharing and access to patient information.

• Less time spent juggling paperwork and more time spent with patients.

• Higher quality patient care and higher levels of patient satisfaction.

 

Perhaps most importantly, EHR gives practices more control over how patient data is logged, used and shared. All data and changes must be logged into the EHR system, and system access is strictly controlled via secure servers, applications and websites. This makes compliance with HIPAA requirements easier and more thorough.

 

There is a wide variety of EHR systems to choose from in the marketplace today. In order to choose the right system for you, be sure to take the time to assess the specific needs of your practice. Many different features and modules make up an EHR system—everything from e-prescriptions to PQRI reporting—so make sure you know which ones you really need in order to avoid spending money on ones you don’t.

 

For starters, how many physicians are in your practice, and do they all want to go electronic? In theory, every physician in a practice doesn’t have to use the EHR system, but in reality, there will be complications if everyone isn’t on the same system. Also assess the condition of the hardware and infrastructure you currently have and whether it is adequate to support an EHR system. If it isn’t, you may need to invest in upgrades before you can implement EHR.

Of course, your budget will also play a large role in what kind of system you choose. EHR systems can be purchased outright, or you can access a system via software as a service (SaaS). With an outright purchase, you’ll buy the hardware (including server) and software and also pay a licensing fee per physician and a yearly maintenance fee. With SaaS, you can lease to own the software or make monthly subscription payments.

 

Do some initial research into EHR vendors and then narrow your list down to your top three choices. (Ideally, you should choose vendors who are CCHIT-certified.) Invite each of these vendors to come into your practice to present demos of their systems. Push them outside the box by having them show you how their system will handle unique scenarios that are common in your practice. For example, you could give them an example of a patient with a specific medical history and/or specific symptoms and complaints and ask how their system would help you address them.

 

Get all of your physicians involved in the demo and EHR system selection process so that everyone is on board once the system goes live. And create a timeline that enables you to phase in implementation and allows plenty of time for physician and staff training. In addition, it’s wise to create a backup plan in case the system goes down.

 

It’s critical that you do everything you can to get your highest ranking and most experienced staff and physicians behind the move to EHR. There will likely be some speed bumps on the way to full implementation, so you’ll want these leaders to be champions and cheerleaders for EHR.