On March 20, 2009, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) named Dr. David Blumenthal as the Obama Administration's choice for National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Dr. Blumenthal and his team will establish the various standards and reporting policies for participation in the HITECH Act. The act includes up to $44,000 in total incentives per physician under Medicare for "meaningful use" of an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) starting in 2011.

In order to qualify for incentive payments, physicians must use a "certified" EMR. The act does not specify what "certification" will mean or who will provide certification but there is general consensus that the certifying organization will be the independent Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT).

What the act does specify is that to be qualified as a certified EMR, the certified technology must include patient demographic and clinical health information and have the capacity to provide clinical decision and physician order entry. Our EMR is designed to support this functionality, and as requirements are defined we will be sure to make any necessary updates to the system to meet those requirements.

In order to qualify for stimulus funds a Doctor must also demonstrate "meaningful use" of an EMR. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has defined what "meaningful use".

The HITECH Act is clearly an ideal opportunity for physicians who use EMRs effectively to be rewarded and to stimulate adoption for those who aren't currently using EMRs. We are in the process of becoming a key development partner of one of the Top 30 Healthcare IT companies in the country. This will place us in a unique position to take point on developing a cutting edge, next generation EMR system. As a result of this, we are both closely monitoring the progression of the HITECH Act.

We'll be posting developments on this situation as they unfold and informing everyone what it will take to make sure they can participate in this program. Because our system is based on iteration cycles we are in a unique position to insure that our subscribers meet ALL new changes mandated by HITECH.