The Stimulus and Medical Records Management

Around the time of our recent Presidential elections, I mentioned that one of President Obama's campaign issues was the state of our medical industries records management programs. Obama assured supporters at rallies that this would be an important part of his agenda, and it seems like he's staying true to his word. There's a significant portion of the newly-passed economic stimulus package that sets aside billions of dollars for hospitals, doctors offices and medical clinics to upgrade or introduce their electronic records management.

According to an article on MedPageToday.com:

Specifically, physicians who demonstrate that they are "meaningfully using heath information technology" would be eligible for $40,000 to $65,000 through Medicare and Medicaid. Likewise, hospitals that demonstrate similar information technology-friendly practices would also qualify for incentive payments. The incentive payments would be phased out over time and eventually a stick will replace the carrot so that physicians and hospitals not using an electronic system would be paid less by Medicare. Health centers, rural health clinics, and children's hospitals would also be eligible for information technology funding through Medicaid.