A recent survey found that cost is the top concern among physicians considering electronic health records (EHRs) for their practices. Also, survey respondents had limited understanding of the financial assistance for implementing an EHR system now available to physicians through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

In response to these findings, Ingenix has launched a nationwide EHR/stimulus education initiative to help physicians learn how EHR technologies and financial incentives can support their efforts to enhance patient care.

Ingenix conducted the online survey of 1,001 U.S. physicians and physician practice administrators to gauge attitudes toward EHR technologies, and to understand how federal stimulus incentives might affect purchase decisions. Key findings include:

• More than half (58 percent) of respondents have little or no familiarity with the ARRA, while 42 percent have some familiarity with its provisions.
• Still, 82 percent say they are more likely to purchase EHR technologies if they are reimbursed for their investment, including 34 percent who would be much more likely to do so.
• Additionally, 77 percent say that penalties for not adopting EHR technology by 2014, as prescribed by the provisions of the ARRA stimulus, are likely to motivate them to implement the technology.

The Ingenix EHR/stimulus education program features a webinar series that will help physicians better understand the ARRA incentives for EHR adoption and their eligibility requirements. Ingenix also launched a new online EHR/stimulus education resource center (www.ingenix.com/ehr) that features additional details about ARRA provisions and tools to help physicians assess their needs, advice for selecting and reviewing EHR systems, and cost and savings information. Webinar registration and scheduling details also are available on the site.

“Ingenix is meeting a critical need by providing physicians with the practical information they need to make decisions about EHRs,” said Kim LaFontana, vice president, Ingenix. “While our survey indicates that the federal stimulus incentives hit one of the sweet-spots in addressing physicians’ primary concern – reimbursing them for the cost of the technology – it also shows that there is a real need for HIT companies to provide solutions and assistance in making the technology a productive addition to the physician practice, not a drag on productivity. Ingenix is helping physicians get the most of this opportunity and select an EHR system that supports their biggest priority – caring for patients.”

EHRs reduce or eliminate the need for paper charts, and improve access to patient-specific health information and medical knowledge at the point of care. As such, health care policymakers believe EHRs are integral to improving the quality and affordability of health care services. The federal stimulus incentives promote widespread EHR adoption by providing $19 billion in special Medicare reimbursement payments – up to $44,000 per physician over a five-year period – to practices that demonstrate meaningful use of the technology.

Ingenix CareTracker EMR is a Web-based electronic health record solution that fully integrates with all the operational functions of a physician practice. Ingenix CareTracker offers three modules to support physician practice operations: Ingenix CareTracker PM optimizes administrative workflows for physician practices; Ingenix CareTracker EMR helps clinicians enter, retrieve and correlate patient information at the point of care; and Ingenix CareTracker Services improves revenue cycle management with comprehensive billing and accounts receivable support. For more information, visit www.ingenix.com/caretracker.

The Ingenix survey has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.

About Ingenix

Ingenix, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, is a leading provider of health information, technologies and consulting services. Organizations, institutions, businesses and government agencies that comprise the health care system depend on Ingenix solutions and insights to improve their performance. Visit www.ingenix.com for more information.

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