The federal government is making a push to get 1,000 designated "critical access hospitals" and rural hospitals to adopt electronic health records and achieve meaningful use by 2014 by spending $30 million, according to Information Week.
The government is funneling the money through its Regional Extension Center, and the National Rural Health Association, who represents these small hospitals, is supportive but skeptical.
Medicare penalties for failing to meet meaningful use requires do not kick in until 2015, but the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is aiming to get these hospitals on board ahead of schedule.
The $30 million could help as many as 1,501 hospitals, or 90 percent of the target group. EHRs should help these small hospitals increase billing efficiency and work toward outcomes-based reimbursements.
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The government is funneling the money through its Regional Extension Center, and the National Rural Health Association, who represents these small hospitals, is supportive but skeptical.
Medicare penalties for failing to meet meaningful use requires do not kick in until 2015, but the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is aiming to get these hospitals on board ahead of schedule.
The $30 million could help as many as 1,501 hospitals, or 90 percent of the target group. EHRs should help these small hospitals increase billing efficiency and work toward outcomes-based reimbursements.
More Articles on Coding, Billing and Collections:
CMS Issues Scheduled Quarterly Update for ASC Rates
Maine Physician Pays $321K to Settle False Billing Claims
How to Successfully Handle Out-of-Network Contracts in ASCs