In today’s world and with the growth of technology one of the major topics in the healthcare systems currently is the growth of Electronic Health Records (EHRs). In fact, it is such a strong program that Medicare and Medicaid started to offer incentive programs in the year 2011. These programs were authorized in 2009 with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITEC) Act.
For eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) the program provides more the $2 million in incentive payments. To earn these incentives the facilities need to demonstrate that they are making “meaningful use” of EHRs. If there are any eligible organizations that do not comply with these standards they risk being fined.
The EHR Implementation stats are as followed. In the year 2013 there was $21 million awarded to a total of forty-three healthcare controlled network organizations. These dollars were to help the organizations adopt and understand the meaningful uses of EHRs.
There are five patient focused reasons in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program’s Initiative when considering “meaningful use”. These five include: Improve quality, safety and efficiency, Engage patients and families, Improve care coordination, Improve public and population health, and ensure privacy and security.
When implementing HER there are nine steps required to be successful. First is planning the project. This includes establishing goals, important staff members, collaboration possibilities, and developing/managing project plans. Step number two is adapting the workflow. This includes outlining and analyzing current workflow, developing new workflow with HER and testing and adjusting to the new workflow. The third step is planning the budget and securing the funding. You need to determine the financial readiness, create a budget and get the funding. Recruiting the workforce is the fourth step.
This is where staff leaders and consultants are identified and develop and execute communication and training plans. Next is collaborating. This includes identifying and working with other organizations, which are capable of assisting with EHR implementation. It is now time for step six. This is choosing a certified EHR. This includes selecting a vendor and negotiating a contract. Step number seven involves installing and implementing the EHR system. Safeguarding privacy and security is step number eight. And the last step is evaluating and optimizing. This includes evaluating, reporting, analyzing and optimizing findings.
As you can see Electronic Health Records are very time consuming but once they are in place can be a big benefit to both the healthcare organization and the patient.
