Doctors need financial assistance to pay for Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems

Implications: Electronic medical records (EMR) have been shown to enable physicians and other healthcare professionals to provide higher quality and more efficient healthcare.  The problem is getting EMR systems implemented in healthcare facilities across the country.  Given the declining reimbursements from insurance companies, most doctors cannot afford to pay for the installation and upkeep of such systems.  Without financial assistance, use of such systems will not be widespread outside of large hospitals and medical groups.

Analysis: Most doctors and healthcare professionals agree that the use of electronic medical records (EMR) results in higher quality and more efficient healthcare.  Test results are easily accessible, resulting in less duplication of tests.  Prescriptions are legible and, in many cases, may be electronically transmitted to the pharmacy.  Coding for diagnoses (ICD-10) and procedures (CPT) are checked for accuracy, compatibility, and validated with the documented medical record to minimize the risk of denial by the insurance company.  These codes may be linked to pre-authorizations/pre-certifications to make billing more efficient and collections more rapid.  The downside:  COST.  Doctors in small private practices lack the time and money needed to install and maintain these systems.  Given that there is little likelihood of improvement in reimbursement rates from insurance companies, the federal government must provide financial assistance in order to make the implementation of EMR systems widespread.  They must also provide leadership to enable EMR systems to communicate between various hospital systems, private medical practices, ambulatory surgery centers, insurance carriers, Medicare, Medicaid, and billing services.  This will ultimately maximize efficiency and improve the overall quality and cost of healthcare in the United States.