As the Obama administration moves forward with a series of incentives and penalties to encourage the use of electronic health records, many experts are reviewing the benefits and risks of expanded EHR use, the Miami Herald reports.
EHR Benefits
The Obama administration plans to use $19.2 billion from the 2009 federal stimulus package to encourage health care providers to adopt EHRs by 2014.
Under the stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate "meaningful use" of EHRs will earn incentive payments through Medicaid and Medicare. Health care providers who do not meet the meaningful use requirements by 2014 will face a reduction in Medicaid and Medicare payments.
Experts say the benefits of EHRs include:
- Allowing patients to access their medical data on their personal computers;
- Improving coordination of care among providers; and
- Opening access to millions of medical records for medical researchers.
EHR Drawbacks
However, other experts say the push for EHR expansion could have several drawbacks. Some believe that health care providers are being pushed to adopt EHRs too quickly.
Some health care providers, particularly private physicians in smaller practices, say they lack the funds and technical staff needed to implement EHRs (Tasker [1], Miami Herald, 7/6).
Some experts also are concerned about patient privacy protections. In the push for EHRs, Congress has strengthened privacy rules, raised penalties for leaking patient information and mandated that patients receive immediate notification if their data are exposed.
New EHR systems commonly offer security programs similar to ATM cards, by assigning patients a 20-digit personal ID and requiring them to answer personal questions, such as date of birth, in order to access their information (Tasker [2], Miami Herald, 7/6).