Medical Industry News

Nearly $4.5 billion in federal incentives to implement electronic health record systems has been paid out thus far, with program enrollments and payments still increasing in the first quarter of 2012, according to an analysis of the CMS' latest data (PDF).

There are now more than a quarter of a million (225,765) actively enrolled participants in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, according to the CMS. Hospitals can receive payments under both the Medicare and the Medicaid programs, and most do, but physicians and other professionals can participate only in one program or the other.

Comprehensive Electronic Health Records Solution Aids Practices in Becoming Nationally Distinguished for Care Model Based on 2011 Specifications

WESTBOROUGH, Mass.—April 16, 2012—eClinicalWorks®, a market leader in ambulatory clinical systems, today announced that several customers have been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for achieving Level 3 Physician Practice Connections®-Patient-Centered Medical Home™ (PCMH) status, the highest designation available. PCMHs coordinate care in a primary care setting with the goal of strengthening the physician-patient relationship, leading to better care delivered, more involved patients and reduced avoidable costs over time.

New health care law provisions cut red tape, save up to $4.6 billion