Physicians Want EHR Incentives
According to an online survey of more than 1,800 physicians, medical group executives and staff, released by Allscripts, physician groups are eager to accept government loans, grants and incentives designed to promote adoption of HIT, including EHRs.

Eighty-two percent of respondents strongly agreed the government should provide funding for EHRs through the HITECH Act, part of the proposed stimulus package under consideration in the Senate.

The survey also confirms that existing incentive programs managed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), including the Stark Safe Harbor exception and programs spurring adoption of e-prescribing, have been effective. However, responses varied regarding what form of payment the government should provide: whether funding should assist the purchase of an EHR system or provide incentives for use of EHRs.

Allscripts concluded the most effective route to achieving widespread EHR adoption lies not in a uniform approach to all physicians but rather a blended model of incentives that address the unique needs of different physicians in different types of medical groups.

"The results confirm our view that providing physicians with the incentives to invest in and use an EHR is the single most important action we can take to improve the quality, enhance safety and lower the cost of health care in America," said Glen Tullman, CEO, Allscripts.

AHIMA Calls for Data Stewardship
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) has called for a nationwide effort to appoint a national health data stewardship entity (NHDSE). A NHDSE would ensure uniform and consistent data standards and promote HIT for health information exchange (HIE).

According to AHIMA, the NHDSE would coordinate the bodies that support the collection, exchange and storing of electronic data. The steward would also establish principles and guidelines to ensure the uniform and consistent collection and exchange of data for quality measurement and other purposes.

AHIMA recommended the following actions to promote data stewardship:
Establish mechanisms for collaboration among representative groups to ensure support and utilize the strengths from all organizations.
Develop a framework for policy development to enable patients and consumers to meet their informational needs through transparency.
Identify and coordinate priorities, policies and practices needed to develop and implement harmonized data reporting initiatives.
Develop and implement a data release framework for policy development to promote and advance the trusted release of data for other uses.

HIT Options Discussed at TEPR Conference
Nearly 800 people came together for the 2009 Towards the Electronic Patient Record Conference, held Feb. 1-5. Session topics included EHR implementation, the patient-centered medical home, mobile health, participatory medicine and general HIT subjects.

According to a conference summary, attendees lamented the slow adoption of EHRs and failed strategies of the Office of the National Coordinator. They called for a new approach to certification standards. Concerns also brewed about whether national funding for HIT would be sufficient to address changes in health care delivery and management.

Several presentations emphasized the strengths of using cell phone applications in health care. The general consensus noted investment in mobile technology as opposed to EHRs may yield higher savings in the long run, according to the summary.

Bar Codes Link Pharmacies to EHRs
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources has installed a patient wristband bar code system at all eight facilities in West Virginia's network of acute, psychiatric and long-term care hospitals.

The wristbands, called Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA), link participating pharmacies with the hospitals' EHR network, OpenVista. Like BCMA, OpenVista is open source and a commercialized version of VistA, the Department of Veterans Affairs' EHR system.

Full implementation cost about $9 million, compared to $90 million West Virginia University spent on a proprietary EHR, according to a statement.

NKU Pitches EHR Cost Analysis Project
Gary Ozanich, director of strategic advancement at Northern Kentucky University's College of Informatics, is looking to study the financial costs and benefits of EHRs to determine whether doctors should adopt them. If the project is funded, the research center would provide vendors and clinicians the opportunity to test new products.

The university also hopes to use President Obama's demand for improved HIT as a springboard for launching a statewide HIE in collaboration with the University of Louisville.

EHR Privacy Law Proposed in NM
New Mexico legislators are considering a new law that would increase privacy protections in EHRs. Under the Electronic Medical Records Act, patients could request their records be excluded from a record locator service and also use a log to monitor who accessed the medical record and for what reason. The act would also provide EHRs the same legal protections as paper records.

EHR systems are currently used by more than 120 providers in the state and in all public health offices run by the New Mexico Department of Health.

Watchdog Demands Disclosure
Prompted by suggestions that Google may be influencing lawmaker's decisions on the proposed stimulus bill, Consumer Watchdog released an open letter calling upon Google to disclose its EHR lobbying efforts. The letter noted recent reports that Google representatives have sought contact with members of Congress; Consumer Watchdog argued Google may have interest in privacy provisions included in the bill.

"Given Google's adamant denial of the claim that Google lobbied to alter current medical privacy protections; countervailing reports from multiple sources that Google lobbied on these provisions; and your company's outspoken commitment to openness, we ask that Google immediately and publicly disclose its positions with regard to the electronic medical records technology section in the stimulus bill, including any amendments Google sought in the legislation previously or will seek in the Senate," the letter stated.