That's the key phrase for providers in the new stimulus package. President Obama has committed to having a healthcare IT infrastructure in place that will allow the US to achieve the goal of having all health care records computerized within 5 years.

That's a tall order considering that only about 8% of the nation's 5000 hospitals and 17% of the 800,000 physicians currently use technology that would meet the anticipated standards of the bill. But the signing of the bill is a profound event for our industry and we expect very big changes in the next few years.

The money is real and it can be substantial. The bill specifies that providers can receive, for "meaningful EHR use", per physician:

1. Year one (2011-12) $18,000 (in order to have meaningful use for the entire 2011 year, and get the $18K, they would have to be fully implemented, rolled out, have data populated and be able to run reports by the end of 2010 – only 22 months from now)
2. Year one (beyond 2012) up to  $15,000
3. Year two up to $12,000
4. Year three up to $8,000
5. Year four up to $4,000
6. Year five $2,000

We are continuing our research into what the bill can mean for physician groups, so please check back for new information as this bill is enacted and the funding mechanisms are put in place. If you would like to learn more about the bill, or have questions about EHR selection/planning/implementation, please don't hesistate to contact me or my team.

Sincerely,

John H. (Hank) Duffy
President
JHD Group