When the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was first introduced in 2009 to incentivize the adoption of health information technology (HIT) among physicians, there were many questions as to how it would work. A national network of 62 regional extension centers, including the South Florida Regional Extension Center (SFREC), was established to provide primary care providers with the technical assistance, guidance and information they needed to become meaningful users of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology.

 

“The goal of SFREC is to assist and guide physicians through the challenges associated with transitioning to EHRs and integrating them into the patient care process,” explained SFREC Associate Executive Director Amy M. Rosa, MSMI, RN. “We currently serve more than 2,700 priority primary care physicians and specialists (or over 400 physician practices) in eight counties in South Florida.”

 

While many physicians were doubtful that the government’s plan to achieve widespread adoption of EHRs by 2014, and its ability to incentivize this changeover, would actually happen, more than 100,000 physicians nationwide have now adopted EHRs through the assistance of national RECs. “I believe that physicians are now realizing that the investment of the federal government is not going away,” said Rosa. “The adoption of electronic health records to attain better quality in patient care has become strong, and measurable benefits are starting to be realized.”

 

Through the federal stimulus program, physicians have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as charter members of the SFREC to take advantage of the nonprofit’s consultative services for no fee. However, the ability for Medicare-eligible physicians’ practices to get the full amount of incentives for participating in the program is coming to an end. “For the Medicare program, the incentive payments vary depending on what year the provider successfully demonstrates meaningful use,” explained Rosa. “For example, an eligible professional (EP) who first demonstrates meaningful use in 2013 and in each subsequent year is eligible for up to $39,000 in Medicare incentives, while an EP who first demonstrates it in 2012 is eligible for the maximum amount of $44,000. The last year to begin participating in the program is 2014.” While Medicaid payments do not vary depending on the year the EP first participates in the program, the last year for enrollment in that program is 2016.

 

In addition to physicians’ increased adoption of EHRs, the SFREC has seen a number of other changes concerning medical records as well. In mid-August, Stage 2 of the program was released, which includes advocacy of patient portals to enable patients to have secure, direct, electronic messaging with their health care providers to ensure faster access and the ability to be more involved in their own health care. Stage 2 also includes changes of the EHR certification criteria in order to provide vendors with more time to develop EHR software.

 

 “There’s a lot to absorb, which is why it’s important for physicians to work with skilled, unbiased, trusted advisors like SFREC that have a direct line to the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) and the Department of Health and Human Services,” said Rosa. “Our goal is to help physicians reach meaningful use and to assist them in aligning competing initiatives in order to be more efficient in their pursuit of these programs and incentive dollars.”