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Electronic Health Records
Texas Health Care Meets Key Federal Benchmarks on Electronic Health Records
Tarrant County-based physician group pioneering effective use of new technology
FORT WORTH, Nov. 8, 2011 - Texas Health Care, a multi-specialty physician group practice, announced today that almost one-half of its members who are using electronic health records (EHRs) have already met the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) criteria for "meaningful use" of EHRs. Meeting "meaningful use" benchmarks qualifies Texas Health Care for financial incentives from CMS and establishes the Tarrant County physician group as a leader in the health care industry for effectively utilizing new technology.
"Electronic health records improve patient care and safety while saving time and money," said Dr. Larry Tatum, president and CEO of Texas Health Care. "Our physicians recognize that it's not enough to simply have an EHR system; we have to use it effectively and meaningfully for the benefit of our patients, and that is exactly what we are striving to achieve."
Texas Health Care partnered with NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, an EHR software provider, to make the transition from paper to electronic records. To date, 130 of Texas Health Care's 140-plus physicians have transitioned to the NextGen platform. As of the end of October, 63 member physicians in nine different specialties have met the CMS (Medicare) or TMHP (Medicaid) criteria demonstrating compliance with the "meaningful use" standards. This early success has been achieved in the first four months in which Texas Health Care has been actively pursuing "meaningful use."
According to CMS, electronic health records can benefit both patients and health care providers in the following ways:
- Efficiency - patients' health information is available when and where it is needed. Prescriptions can be ordered and filled before leaving the doctor's office, and insurance claims can be filed immediately.
- Improved health care - patient information is always up-to-date, even including prescriptions and treatments prescribed by another provider. Also, instructions and reminders can be sent to the patient automatically.
- Improved safety - an EHR contains a record of the patient's current prescriptions or allergies, and it will automatically check for potential risks when a new medication is prescribed.
- Reduced costs - less paperwork, improved safety, reduced duplication of testing, and overall improved health means reduced costs for both the patient and health care provider.
"Utilizing NextGen's EHR system in my practice has saved my staff and me a tremendous amount of time and is allowing us to treat patients in a more efficient manner," said Dr. Rob Watson, the Medical Director for Andrews Women's Hospital at Baylor All Saints Medical Center. Watson, also a Texas Health Care member, recently qualified as having met "meaningful use" standards. "Our partnership with NextGen Healthcare allows us to continuously update and improve our system to meet new requirements as they develop. This is all done seamlessly and results in a higher quality medical record for our patients and a more efficient workflow for our staffs," Watson added.
The CMS "meaningful use" incentive program and standards are products of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. President Obama touted the program that year, saying EHRs will "reduce errors, bring down costs, ensure privacy and save lives."
