by
Joan Trombetti, Writer | April 17, 2009
Electronic Medical Records
in JPS's Future
If JPS Health Network gets taxpayer support, handwritten records will be gone and paper files and computer systems will be combined under one electronic medical records system. The estimated cost of the project is $150 million.
Board members from JPS will vote on a strategic plan to overhaul medical records and decide whether to spend $1.9 million to find a company that can clean up JPS records and prepare the network to begin an electronic medical records system. Officials from JPS say that approval is the first step and paying for the project will need to be discussed during this year's budget review.
It is hoped that the hospital district will fall under the qualifications for federal stimulus funds to offset the $150 million. If "meaningful use" of electronic medical records is not implemented, health care providers like JPS will begin seeing reductions in their Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements by 2015.
It is projected that JPS would receive $11 million in incentives to start such a plan. Penalties for not implementing electronic medical records would be based on patient days, hospital discharges and charity care.
