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4 in 10 doctors plan to secure EMR bonuses

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Jan. 31, 2011

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A federally commissioned survey of office-based physicians finds that 41% plan to apply for and receive Medicare or Medicaid incentives for meaningful use of electronic medical records, the national health information technology coordinator's office reported Jan. 13.

The survey, conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, found that 32.4% of office-based doctors plan to apply for the bonuses during stage 1 of the incentive program, which takes place this year. Only 14% of respondents said they would not bother applying for the additional payments.

The federal government has begun mailing bonus checks to Medicare and Medicaid physician participants who have demonstrated meaningful EMR use in their practices. A survey released in December 2010 by the NCHS, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that the incentives had helped EMR use among office-based physicians pass the 50% mark.

The survey data are available online (link).

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/01/31/gvbf0131.htm.

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