If the feds have it their way, 40% of physician offices will be using certified electronic health records by 2012.
The goal is part of a strategic plan for coordinating the federal government's health IT efforts over the next 4 years, and seeks to further progress toward President Bush's goal, set out in 2004, that the majority of Americans to have access to an electronic health record (EHR) by 2014.
About 14% of physicians had adopted some form of health information technology (IT) by 2007, according to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, which released the strategic plan. The plan calls for removing business barriers and disincentives for adoption of EHRs and providing training and technical assistance. For example, it says by next year, information on low-cost and effective provider support on EHR adoption should be available online.
The plan also calls for increasing the health IT workforce by training more standards developers, ensuring vendors are trained in the implementation of health IT tools, and training physicians and other providers in informatics. It also highlights the need to address physician concerns about liability risks related to the exchange of electronic health information.
In addition to issues related to adoption, the plan lays out goals for achieving patient-focused health care through electronic health record access, and enabling the use of electronic health data to benefit public health, research, and emergency preparedness.
“[The plan] establishes the next generation of health IT milestones to harness the power of information technology to help transform health and care in this country,” Dr. Robert Kolodner, national coordinator for health information technology, said in a statement.
The goals are all positive, said Dr. Steven Waldren, director of the Center for Health Information Technology at the American Academy of Family Physicians, but the plan does not sufficiently emphasize the need to provide financial incentives to physicians for purchasing and using electronic health record systems. “The real bottom line is getting the payment reform that is needed in health care today.”
The strategic plan represents a “reasonable approach” going forward and gives a sense of how to achieve the President's objective of greater access to EHRs, said Dan Rode, vice president of policy and government relations at the American Health Information Management Association. Many of the items don't have specific timetables for completion but will instead be reassessed in 2010, he said, leaving a lot to be accomplished before 2014.
And while the plan outlines the objectives envisioned by the current administration, the goals and strategies could change with a new president who may be proposing changes to the way health care is delivered, Mr. Rode said.
The plan was developed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT in collaboration with 12 agencies within HHS, and the Departments of Commerce, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, and the Federal Communications Commission. The National Committee on Vital Statistics and the American Health Information Community also contributed.
The strategic plan is available online at www.hhs.gov/healthit