If you thought that financial incentives did not work, this short article (published California Healthcare Foundation's iHealthbeat) should change your mind.
"New York City Physicians Line Up for Discounted EHRs
May 08, 2007
New York City will provide 1,000 physicians with discounted electronic health record software and support in an effort to boost the health outcomes of the city's "most vulnerable" residents, according to American Medical News.
So far, 1,300 physicians, who appear to be eligible for the EHR program, have contacted the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Farzad Mostashari, assistant commissioner at the department, said.
The initiative, called the Primary Care Information Project, is funded with $27 million from the city and $3 million from the state. The project aims to bring EHRs to patients who most likely would not have access to them and to address major public health issues, Mostashari said.
Physicians qualify for the program if at least 30% of their patients are enrolled in state-funded insurance plans, such as Medicaid, or if their practices are located in one of three low-income neighborhoods.
Selected physicians will receive eClinicalWorks' EHR (US EMR application - Ed) software and two years of technical support, which normally would cost at least $12,000 per physician, company spokesperson Heather Caouette said.
Physicians in the program will pay $4,000 to help cover a city-organized office workflow assessment, and they must provide their own hardware and high-speed Internet connection to run the system, American Medical News reports.
Details of the workflow assessment still are being developed, Mostashari said. The program is expected to use both its own employees and outside consultants to guide physicians on EHR use and how to meet their practice goals.
The medical Society of the State of New York has endorsed and publicized the initiative, spokesperson Lynda Lees Adams said (Trapp, American Medical News, 5/14)"
I think this is an interesting approach. One in which a city or district takes a funding role in supporting the adoption and use of an EMR. I am not sure this would work in Canada, but it would certainly be an interesting way to boost retention and recruitment of physicians in underserviced areas rather than only depending on provincial funding programs.
If you thought that financial incentives did not work, this short article (published California Healthcare Foundation's iHealthbeat) should change your mind.
I think this is an interesting approach. One in which a city or district takes a funding role in supporting the adoption and use of an EMR. I am not sure this would work in Canada, but it would certainly be an interesting way to boost retention and recruitment of physicians in underserviced areas rather than only depending on provincial funding programs.
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