KY and OK lead the way on Medicaid EHR incentive payments

As discussed way back in this thread, starting this year states are going to be administering an incentive payment program for Medicaid providers who adopt (and meaningfully use) electronic health records. The incentive payments are meant to help defray some of the costs of adopting EHRs, which goes beyond just buying the technology but also training staff to use it, redirecting workflow in an office to accommodate it, etc. The overarching goal of encouraging EHR adoption, of course, is to improve quality and, in the long run, help contain costs.

Now that it's 2011 the first states have started making incentive payments with more to follow.

 

Most providers already do this. Per usual, government is late to the party.

 

Electronic Health Records in Ambulatory Care — A National Survey of Physicians (July 3, 2008):

Use of Electronic Health Records in U.S. Hospitals (April 16, 2009):

Welcome to reality.

 

If they were cost effective, they would already be doing more of them.

If they have to subsidize it, it merely shifts costs.

 

This should save more money than it costs by reducing/catching fraud.
Also good to catch those doctor shopping to get oxycodone and such.
And should also improve the quality of medical care recieved by patients.

My DR uses this system and he is a conservative, very conservative

 

Think GE..

 

Genetic Engineering?
or in my case Genital Excellence?

 

there are many companies offering incentive payment program for Medicaid providers , dunno why govt has indulge there selves in . But it is a good step it will improve the health situation in the state .

 

An update with some numbers. 4,000 providers registered in the first four days:

Providers pursuing the EHR incentive payments through Medicare have until 2014 to initially register and Medicaid providers have until 2016 to register so this is only the very beginning of the program.

 

Damn! I thought this thread was about KY (jelly) and OK (Oscillating Klystron).
Bummer, what a letdown.