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GOVERNMENT
ASSISTANCE
Government Assistance with EHR
Implementations.
Implementing an EHR is the best way to get ready for
the coming wave of quality and accountability.
Qualifying physician offices who have implemented
EHR solutions within their practices will be among
the first to receive these benefits as they become
available through government programs.
Pending Medicare legislation and initiatives of
private-sector healthcare purchasers provides financial
incentives to physicians who are willing to improve
quality and report about their progress.
Everyone feels the pain of soaring health-care
costs. Clinical IT systems, such as electronic health
records and bedside decision-support tools, could
save the nation billions of dollars annually by
reducing medical errors and eliminating wasteful
processes, according to government researchers.
Yet many cash-strapped health providers find it
difficult to fund such technology projects.
For the past year, President Bush has promoted the
goal of providing most Americans with electronic
medical records that would be accessible to all
their health-care providers within 10 years.
President Bush's 2006 budget, which was unveiled
Feb. 7, will include an increase in funding to help
health-care providers test and deploy new technologies.
The administration plans to ask for $125 million
to fund IT-related health projects, $75 million
more than Congress approved for 2005. Last week,
Bush requested an additional $50 million to be tacked
on to the 2005 budget, for a $100 million total.
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