Rush University Medical Center plans to be among the first group of hospitals in the country to become eligible for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Program. The program, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) of 2009, will provide federal incentive payments to doctors and hospitals when they adopt electronic health records and demonstrate use in ways that can improve quality, safety and effectiveness of care.

"To be among the first to achieve this goal is a very significant effort. Our team has spent thousands of hours planning, designing, working on technical aspects and educating staff," said Dr. Julio Silva, vice president and Chief Information Medical Officer, Rush University Medical Center.

To qualify, hospitals and doctors must comply with the federal "meaningful use" criteria for an electronic health record (EHR) system. The goals focus on five priority areas that will:
- Improve quality, safety, efficiency and reduce health disparities
- Engage patients and their families (through electronic communication)
- Improve care coordination
- Improve population and public health
- Ensure adequate privacy and security protection for personal health information

"Meaningful use makes sense," said Silva. "The criteria push users to leverage health information technology to support them as they provide the very best care for patients."

As part of Rush's 10-year campus transformation, Rush invested in new electronic health record technology and systems that serve to improve safety, quality and efficiency of patient care while making the entire patient experience better. For Rush, federal incentives can be near $28 million.

Medical records at Rush became fully electronic in 2009. By summer of this year, 90 percent of Rush physicians will also be using electronic health records in their offices. Staff is also currently working on the design of the new patient portal, which will allow patients to electronically access their medical records, prescriptions, interact with their physicians, view test results, and make appointments online.

The changeover from paper to electronic records promote safety by bringing all of a patient's information together in one place, where it is always current and available when and where it is needed.

Because all the information is in one place, EHRs can identify potential safety issues. For example, an EHR will not merely contain a record of a patient's medications and allergies, it will also automatically check for problems whenever a new medication is prescribed and alert the clinician to potential conflicts.

"The implementation of our clinical information systems has transformed our ability to share patient information among all members of the patient care team. Care is better coordinated because clinicians will always know about the drugs or treatments prescribed by another provider," said Silva.

EHRs also support better follow-up for patients. After a clinical visit or hospital stay, instructions and information for the patient can be effortlessly provided; and once the patient portal is available reminders for other follow-up care can be sent easily or even automatically to the patient.

To achieve "Meaningful Use" hospitals need to use certified EHR technology, have physicians using computerized prescription order entry, conform to interoperability standards, and report on clinical quality measures.

January 2011 marks the first time in our nation's history that hospitals and eligible healthcare providers can register their intent to achieve meaningful use of certified electronic health records (EHRs) and qualify for incentive payments under the HITECH Act portion of ARRA. This program is accelerating the transformation of healthcare that was already happening, moving the country closer to nationwide interoperable electronic patient records. The first payments are expected In May. Hospitals that do not comply by 2015 will be penalized.

Source:
Rush University Medical Center