Electronic Records Increasingly Sought By Medical Professionals, Says Atlanta's Business Computer Applications

In 2012 the CDC study says that about 72 percent of office-based physicians in the United States used an EMR/EHR system, a 26 percent increase from a 2011 estimate.

"As we move through 2013 we will see more marriages between computers and healthcare in physician's office, hospitals and clinics as information technology continues to move from the billing departments and other back office functions into the examining room," says Woodard.  The 2008 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act directs the healthcare industry to transition from being paper dependent to information technology.

The CDC report indicates that change is coming fast. And incentives are there to speed the momentum. The federal government is promising financial benefits for those that do and penalties for those who do not. The Department of Health and Human Services is offering financial incentives to hospitals and doctors' practices that can achieve what it calls "meaningful use" of EMRs by certain dates. On the other hand, doctors and institutions that don't comply or fall behind in the "meaningful use" category by 2015 will receive lower reimbursement rates for treating Medicare and Medicaid patients.

"EMRs can help reduce errors, provide better access to health information, improve care coordination, save millions of dollars and alleviate a shortage of qualified healthcare professionals," says Woodard. "They can even overcome the old problem of poor handwriting making it easier to read progress notes that physicians have written."

About BCA: Business Computer Applications (BCA), an Atlanta-based IT healthcare company that provides EMR and practice management systems, scheduling, and case management information systems among others. BCA currently serves 300 healthcare sites, 5,000 physicians, and is the world's largest telemedicine system outside of the Pentagon. www.BCA.us.

For additional information: Dave Scott 770/354-7228

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SOURCE Business Computer Applications

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