One of the hottest topics in the medical field is the massive and cumbersome transition to Electronic Health Records (EHR); the momentum to convert from paper has been increasing. EHRs are the future, undoubtedly due to governmental pressure. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, a part of the 2009 stimulus package, was the game-changer. Providers are offered financial incentives for changing over to EHR. And in 2015, there is be a 1% Medicare payment penalty fee for providers who do not use electronic health records. This penalty is set to increase annually. While there are wonderful benefits to EHR, the transition has been difficult, largely due to the enormous financial strain it puts on providers. However, there is a solution to this issue, and it lies within Transcription Plus, LLC.
First, it is to be noted that once an efficient EHR system is set into practice, the benefits are as follows:
Easy e-prescribing
Uncomplicated exchange of health information
Gaining improvements in care coordination
Engaging patients and their caretakers with accessible information
Improving public health by providing quick statistical data to government agencies
Reducing medical error by increasing clarity and accuracy of medical record
Preventing redundant testing
Reducing delays in treatments
Reduction in storage fees that paper records incur
With all of these benefits, it is difficult to understand why practitioners are delaying the conversion. While there is a learning curve and the possibility of changing efficient procedures, the main reason for resistance is due to how cost prohibitive it is. In fact, in a 2008 study, 66% of physicians claimed that financial barriers were the reason they were not adopting EHR.
The prohibitive costs are follows:
Implementation fees can be approximately $32,000 per physician in a 5-physician practice during the first 60 days of execution.
Maintenance costs are approximately $8500 per provider per year.
Software system updates can be costly; both financially and in time.
Training programs to use EHR also contribute to the growing cost.
Providers lose billable patient contact time while doing clerical work
Transcription Plus, LLC offers an integrated solution that inputs dictated notes and/or edits speech-generated reports for accuracy right into the provider's own EHR system. This allows the provider to continue to work in the accustomed way, without disruption of normal schedules. Most importantly, it allows practitioners to minimize frustrating clerical time that takes away from patient care. By working with Transcription Plus, LLC, providers are able to gain all the benefits of transitioning to an EHR system while incurring minimal disruption to their practice.
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