The Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Programs provides incentive payments to eligible professionals if they fulfill the meaningful use of certified EHR technology. The purpose of these incentive programs is to support and encourage healthcare providers in the days of transition from paper records to digital records in the healthcare industry. These programs are meant to incorporate the use of electronic health records in meaningful methods to help the US government to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare for patients.
Meaningful use: Meaningful use is the usage of certified electronic health record technology to
- Improve quality, safety, efficiency and reduce health disparities
- Engage patients and family
- Improve care coordination and public health
- Maintain privacy and security of patient health information
The purpose of meaningful use is to make sure that complying with certified electronic health records will result in:
- Better clinical outcomes
- Improved population health outcomes
- Increased transparency and efficiency
- Empowered individuals
- More robust research data on health systems
The meaningful use has set some specific objectives that have to be achieved by eligible professionals and hospitals to qualify for CMS incentive programs.
Eligible Professionals:
Eligible professionals under the Medicare EHR incentive programs include – Doctor of medicine or osteopathy, Doctor of dental surgery or dental medicine, Doctor of podiatry, Doctor of optometry, and chiropractors.
Eligible professionals under the Medicaid EHR incentive programs include – physicians, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, dentist, physician assistant who provides services in a Federally Qualified Health Center or Rural Health clinic led by a physician assistant.
The final rule published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) specifies the criteria that should be met by the eligible professionals and eligible hospitals to be able to participate in the Medicare & Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
The EHR incentives programs consist of three stages:
- Stage 1 sets the foundation for the EHR incentives programs by giving requirements for the capture of data electronically
- Stage 2 encouraged the certified electronic health records technology for the improvement at the point of care and transfer of information in a structured format.
- Stage 3 is from 2017 and afterward with the focus on the usage of certified electronic health records technology to improve the health results.
The electronic health records are playing a very crucial role in the US healthcare industry, thereby increasing job opportunities for healthcare technicians. Avontix is one of the best providers of EHR solutions in Hyderabad that provides its services to the US healthcare providers.
Visit: Avontix
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