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In a live web cast hosted by the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Aug 7th, Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology answered critics of the administration’s healthcare reform efforts and underscored the role of health information technology in accomplishing it stating that the adoption of health information technology will serve as a catalyst for achieving the goals of healthcare reform legislation. |
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Computerization of health records vis-à-vis Electronic Health Records (EHR) or Electronic Medical Records (EMR) is arguably the most important health care information technology trend these days. Although health care information management arena has been relatively slow in catching up to technology, physicians and others in the health care industry are starting to see the impact that information technology has had on other industries and they are ready utilize technology as a tool as well. As paper begins to disappear, utilizing technological devices to provide secure, timely and logically organized access to clinical information will become more realistic and imperative. Of course, with President Obama’s economic stimulus package offering monetary incentives for adoption and use of EHR through the HITECH act, there is no doubt healthcare information technology has received a much needed boost. |
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MELVILLE, NY - Sequel Systems, Inc., a dynamic, service-oriented healthcare technology company, today announced the SequelMed eRx Initiative, which will make the company`s SequelMed e-Prescribe solution available to qualified hospitals and medical societies free of charge. The initiative is part of Sequel Systems` ongoing campaign to reduce medical errors by increasing the adoption and active use of e-prescribing technology in hospitals and physicians` offices across the nation. |
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Sequel Systems says the Electronic Prescribe (E-Prescribe) program, in which paper-based health records would be converted to electronic health records (EHRs), would be beneficial to hospital-based and managed services organizations. This not only reduces medical errors made in the reading of written prescriptions — which results in increased liability — but also offers financial incentives by receiving increases in Medicare reimbursements to those organizations that adopt the program. |
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According to a report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), more than 1.5 million Americans are injured every year by medication errors. In the same report, the IOM recommended that all prescriptions be written and received electronically by the year 2010. Congress passed the “Medicare Improvements for Patients & Providers Act of 2008” earlier this year and CMS adopted the “Standards for e-Prescribing under Medicare Part D” and the “Medicare Prescription Drug Program” on April 7, 2008. As such, doctors who prescribe Medicare Part D drugs electronically next year will be rewarded with additional pay. However, those incentives eventually will run out, and penalties will begin for physicians who continue to write paper prescriptions. |
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