More on EHR's
As a follow-up to the EMR/EHR (Electronic Medical Record/Electronic Health Record) post, there may be a trend starting from some malpractice carriers where they are beginning to lower premiums for doctors who use EHRs.
MHA Insurance in Lansing, MI, will discount premiums by 5 percent the first year and 2.5 percent afterwards for practices that have an EHR certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology.
As with anything, there are strings attached. The system needs to have been up and running for at least one year, and at least 75 percent of the doctors in a practice must use it.
MHA views EHRs as a patient safety issue but in actuality, it is probably the better documentation that is easier to defend against malpractice claims. It certainly improves the legibility problem that has plagued physicians since the beginning of time.
There is controversy, though, and many insurance carriers aren’t sufficiently convinced that EHRs translate into fewer malpractice suits. Some even believe that the technology can increase a doctor’s liability by too much documentation.
Why is it never easy??
MHA Insurance in Lansing, MI, will discount premiums by 5 percent the first year and 2.5 percent afterwards for practices that have an EHR certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology.
As with anything, there are strings attached. The system needs to have been up and running for at least one year, and at least 75 percent of the doctors in a practice must use it.
MHA views EHRs as a patient safety issue but in actuality, it is probably the better documentation that is easier to defend against malpractice claims. It certainly improves the legibility problem that has plagued physicians since the beginning of time.
There is controversy, though, and many insurance carriers aren’t sufficiently convinced that EHRs translate into fewer malpractice suits. Some even believe that the technology can increase a doctor’s liability by too much documentation.
Why is it never easy??
Labels: EMR, healthcare, legal
posted by Anonymous at 6:00 AM
1 Comments:
What is really ridiculous is that you invested over $100,000 in your system!! There are excellent programs out there that can do everything a practicing physician needs it to do for much less. But, just like most all other physician-targeted products, electronic health record software vendors "stick" it to physicians because they think they are making extraordinary amounts of money.
What is equally ridiculous are the proposals before Congress now which are intended to mandate that only certain CCHIT-approved EHR programs will be accepted by 3rd party payors, including Medicare. Why is this ridiculous? Because CCHIT is backed by and lobbied for by large EHR software vendors!! The smaller companies will have no chance to provide equally efficient programs to physicians if Congress makes them use only those sponsored by the big boys.
Another issue with mandating EHRs is that the programs will likely include "data mining" software wherein the insurance company or your government can extract, at their will and discretion, any information from your health record which is stored in these programs. They will be able to "come in the back door" and find out anything they want about you. Information such as who is HIV positive, whose husband is beating up on whom and who got VD on their last business trip will be available to United health Care, Aetna, Humana your Congressman, etc.
This scenario is equivalent to telling one, sorry, you can no longer own a Kia...everyone who wants to drive must purchase a Mercedes. And then all Mercedes will have homing devices and webcams so others can know where you are going and what you are doing.
Should Medicare and other insurance companies go this route, I venture to say there will be a lot of physians "opting out" and refusing to accept these plans...at least let's hope so.
For interesting threads on the subjest, go to www.emrupdate.com. This site is sponsored by the Big Boys but there are some contributors who might open your eyes.
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