What is the HITECH Act?On February 17, 2009 a $787 Billion, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Stimulus Bill), was signed into law by the federal government. Included in this law is $19.2 Billion which is intended to be used to increase the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) by physicians and hospitals; this portion of the bill is called the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act or HITECH Act. You can find the text of this bill here.
Why did the government pass this law? Why is it important?Extensive research shows that utilizing an EHR would serve to improve patient care, increase patient safety and simplify compliance in the US healthcare system. Additionally, it would help cut costs in the long term, as it would minimize errors, increase productivity and administrative efficiency. What does the HITECH Act mean to physicians and hospitals? What incentives are available to me?$17 Billion of funds available through the HITECH Act will be used for incentive payments to physicians and hospitals that participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs. These incentives will be issued to current users and new adopters of certified EMR systems, who use the system in a meaningful way. To view the most recent release from CMS on meaningful use please click here. In order to demonstrate meaningful use, a practice or hospital must be using a certified system. The government is now accepting applications for organizations who are interested in being appointed as a certifying body, but it is important to note that no official certification body has yet been chosen.
Medicaid - Physicians whose caseloads include at least 30% Medicaid patients are eligible to receive up to $63,750 over the course of 6 years. Physicians cannot obtain incentives from both Medicaid and Medicare, but hospitals can.
What happens if I don’t adopt an EMR system?After 2015, further financial incentives will not be available and penalties will kick in. There will be a 1% reduction in Medicare fees per year, up to 3% by 2017. Where do I begin? How do I start thinking about this process to ensure that I have thought everything through?The sooner you adopt an EMR system, the more incentive funds that will be available to you. We have made every effort to make the transition to an electronic charting environment a seamless process for our customers and are offering special incentives to encourage the adoption of the MOSAIQ EMR system. For more information about our suite of products, please contact sales, or call (888) 464 6722. Additionally, we have made every effort to make the transition to an electronic charting environment a seamless process for our customers and are offering special incentives to encourage the adoption of the MOSAIQ EMR system. Not sure whether your center will qualify? Gain peace of mind with STRATEGIQ Services. To learn more, contact us at strategiqservices@elekta.com. |
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Healthcare industry leaders encourage you to not wait until January 2011 to adopt an EMR system- the sooner the adoption the more time you will have efficiently use the EMR and realize the maximum benefits. We offer a robust array of EMR solutions to meet the immediate and long term needs of oncology health care providers. Take a look at our medical oncology software, MOSAIQ, click here for a product demonstration. ROI Calculator
If you are interested in getting an idea of the return on your investment for purchasing our medical oncology EMR, check out this calculator! |
Economic Stimulus: The HITECH Act of 2009  |
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