For years, many medical facilities have already been using electronic medical records in an effort to increase the work load that they can take on, on a daily basis. What most physicians have found is that the complex features that are incorporated into electronic medical record software can be confusing to begin with, but over time, it can soon become something that they use every single day to great affect. One thing to consider is that ten years ago or so, the software would have been a lot more basic than it is today. The great thing is that now, there features are much more in depth, which means they offer much more of an aid to medical physicians. The quality of the software is just one of the reasons why medical facilities are being forced to keep to the EMR deadline.
What is the EMR deadline? The Government has recognized the fact that the economic recession has meant many people have steered clear of private health care facilities. Every one is aiming to cut costs and by cutting out private health care, there is more of a demand for Government run facilities throughout the country. Electronic medical record software is not exactly hard to come by and this software enables physicians the instant ability to get up to capacity. Many physicians have suggested that their capacity can be increased by as much as 25% and even more in some cases. So effectively, the cost saving can be in the region of 25% of a physicians wage, which could be $25,000 per annum and more in some cases. Remember, there will be multiple physicians using the software, so the savings can total hundreds of thousands of dollars every single year.
The Government has now set a EMR deadline of 2014. By 2014, the Government want to ensure that the majority of medical facilities that can make use of electronic medical records software are actually using it. This EMR deadline will mean that each medical facility will be operating at what could be considered to be maximum capacity and therefore, there will be a lot less strain on the medical industry on the whole. The main reason that a lot of medical facilities have not already converted over to the electronic systems is simply because of the upfront investment that is required, which is now something that the Government can help with as well.
The Government has decided that now is the time to start throwing money at this as a major project. They are now offering up to $44,000 over a 5 year period for those facilities that think they need to meet the EMR deadline and could benefit from meeting it. The $44,000 will be used directly for EMR software and will help these physicians and medical facilities to reach their targets in terms of the amount of patients that they see every single day.
Conclusion
There has never been a better time to try and meet the EMR deadline than now. More and more people have decided that this is certainly the right way forward. With many medical facilities suggesting that they can increase their turn over of patients by around 25%, whilst still offering excellent patient care, there is literally no reason why any medical facility should not be using electronic medical records software. EMR deadlines need to be hit to ensure the long term stability of the medical industry and to ensure that the country stays healthy, which is why the Government is investing so much money into it; as much as $44,000 per medical facility.