The federal government will begin its incentive program for the use of electronic health record information systems in less than a year, but many physician organizations say the timeline is just too aggressive and runs the risk of turning some physicians away from the technology.
Starting next year, physicians who demonstrate “meaningful use” of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology will be eligible to receive bonus payments of up to $18,000 from the Medicare program. Those bonuses continue for 5 years, with physicians eligible to earn up to a total of $44,000.
Physicians can still receive bonuses if they begin their meaningful use of the technology later, but they must start before 2013 to get all the available incentives.
A similar program is in place under the Medicaid program, with physicians eligible to receive nearly $64,000 over 6 years for the adoption and use of certified EHR technology.
Last December, officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a proposal outlining the requirements to achieve meaningful use of EHRs. The requirements are phased in with minimum standards taking effect in 2011 and 2012, and stricter criteria phasing in over time.
Under Stage 1, physicians must meet 25 objectives including the use of computerized provider order entry, electronic prescribing, reporting on quality measures, and checking insurance eligibility electronically, among others.
In a letter to CMS officials, sent last month, a coalition of more than 95 national and state physician organizations voiced their concerns about the Stage 1 requirements. Though the coalition supports the phased-in approach to meaningful use, they said there is too much being asked of physicians in the first stage of the program.
The Medical Group Management Association, which signed on to the letter to CMS, said it has survey data suggesting that requiring practices to meet all 25 meaningful use objectives would actually lead to decreased productivity. Nearly 68% of respondents to a recent survey predicted that physician productivity would drop if all of the meaningful use objectives were implemented. That drop would be separate from the temporary decline expected with implementation of a new EHR, MGMA said.
Survey respondents said they would have a particularly hard time meeting the requirement that at least 80% of all patient requests for an electronic copy of their health information be fulfilled within 48 hours and the requirement that at least 10% of all patients be given timely electronic access to their health information. The survey, which was conducted in February, included responses from 445 providers in medical group practices.