By Frank Irving
Read full article in Medical Practice Insider
The basis of the current meaningful use program, the HITECH Act of 2009, created certification standards and incentives for adopting EHR technology in physician office and hospital settings — but it did not account for EHRs used in ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs).
That distinction has made it hard for doctors such as gastroenterologists, who routinely perform procedures in ASCs, to satisfy meaningful use requirements. However, a bill making its way through Congress could help to resolve the disparity.
The Electronic Health Fairness Act — part of broader Medicare legislation (H.R. 2570) currently being marked up by the Senate Finance Committee after passing a voice vote in the House on June 17 — would change the HITECH Act to exempt procedures performed at ASCs from counting toward meaningful use requirements until a certification process can be put in place for EHRs used in ASCs.
Medical Practice Insider asked Scott Ketover, MD (pictured below), who heads a gastroenterology practice in St. Paul, Minn., and also serves as president of the Digestive Health Physicians Association, to explain the ramifications of the proposed law. Read more >>