NEW: RI Regional Extension Center Launches New EHR Program
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The RI Regional Extension Center (RI REC) has announced the launch of its new Electronic Health Record (EHR) Adoption Program for Specialists effective this month. The program allows providers in specialty practices to receive the assistance and benefits previously available only to certain primary care providers.
Under the Medicare EHR incentive program, eligible professionals can receive as much as $44,000 over five years (that amount reduces to $39,000 for practices beginning in 2013 and $24,000 for those beginning in 2014). Under RI’s Medicaid incentive program, eligible professionals can receive as much as $63,750 over six years. These incentives help make EHR adoption more affordable.
Incentives for using EHR technology
“These incentive payments recognize RI’s providers and hospitals for using EHR technology in ‘meaningful’ ways that lead to higher quality care, improved patient safety, and better communication between patients and physicians,” said Jennie Gordon, Director of REC Program Management at RIQI. “While achieving meaningful use of EHRs can be a challenging endeavor, RI REC meets providers where they are and uses our health IT expertise to help them realize their EHR goals.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAccording to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), providers who receive support from a REC are more than twice as likely to receive an incentive payment under the federal Medicare EHR Incentive Program. RI REC’s EHR Adoption Program has already guided more than 1,000 RI providers toward stage 1 meaningful use of EHRs, generating more than $3 million in federal EHR incentive payments to RI REC members.
“I am very grateful for the work of the RI REC team,” said Fadi Mansourati, MD of Fairlawn Primary Care in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. “They have been instrumental in guiding my practice through the process of upgrading my EHR, understanding the requirements for meaningful use, and completing the application. They also helped me identify available resources and connected me with other practices so we could learn from their experiences.”
In addition to primary care physicians, healthcare providers in specialty practices can now enroll. To learn more about RI REC’s EHR Adoption Program for Specialists, call 888-924-4156 or visit their website here.
