New stimulus incentives may not boost HIT adoption, study saysMarch 10, 2009 | Diana Manos, Senior Editor
WASHINGTON – While the economic stimulus package contains $19 billion in incentives to encourage providers to adopt healthcare IT, A new study says some physicians - particularly those in small practices - may decide to face penalties provided under the law rather than spend money to adopt healthcare IT.
The study was released Monday by Avalere Health, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that draws expert advice from federal agency officials, Fortune 500 healthcare companies, top consultancies and nonprofits.
Under the stimulus package, providers can receive Medicare bonuses from 2011 to 2015 and will face cuts in payments after 2015 if they don't adopt healthcare IT.
Avalere researchers, using electronic health record adoption costs published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, found that a solo or small group physician practice could spend an estimated $124,000 over the five-year period to adopt EHRs and could receive up to $44,000 in federal incentive payments. The resulting financial deficit would be $70,000, or an average of $14,000 a year, the researchers said.
"This represents about 8 percent of a physician’s annual Medicare receipts, contrasted with the legislation’s provisions to impose an $8,500 penalty on non-adopters," the researchers said.
According to The New England Journal of Medicine, more than half of all physician practices consist of one to three doctors. In 2005, the AHRQ found that the average EHR implementation cost per physician was $32,606, but noted for smaller practices that cost could rise to $37,204. On top of those costs, the AHRQ estimates $1,500 per month in upkeep and training costs.
"These new incentives are intended to motivate doctors to adopt EHRs, yet for many physicians, the level of the incentive may not reflect current financial realities," said Jon Glaudemans, a senior vice president at Avalere Health. "Given this gap, EHR adoption will still require a significant investment by small physician practices. In today’s economic climate, many physicians will struggle with this calculus."
Under the new law, providers will not be paid bonuses unless they can prove "meaningful use" of healthcare IT. Glaudemans said it is critical that the administration define "meaningful use" as soon as possible.
"Rapid clarification of eligibility criteria relative to ‘meaningful use, and timely articulation of technology and interoperability standards are crucial next steps for the new administration as it seeks a way to encourage HIT adoption strategies by physicians, hospitals, technology vendors and other HIT stakeholders," Glaudemans said. "Absent this guidance, even the most enthusiastic provider may defer HIT investments indefinitely, given the cost of implementation and the relatively modest subsidy levels." |
发表于 2009-3-13 09:04:17