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Tue, Oct 13 2009 5:44 PM EST
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The federal stimulus bill approved this spring has a tidy incentive for physicians to adopt health information technology. Doctors can receive $44,000 over five years from the Medicare program, or $63,750 over five years from Medicaid (but not both). There are a lot of strings attached, and the feds have yet to nail down particulars of the program. Plus, MGMA officials say many physician groups can’t afford to take on the cost of IT systems, putting the full amount of the subsidy in jeopardy.
But there’s some good news for hospitals. While hospital-based physicians aren’t eligible for the stimulus money, medical groups that hospitals have other contractual arrangements or joint ventures with still may benefit from the new program—and in the process, so could hospitals. Policymakers in 2006 paved the way for hospitals to give financial assistance to physician groups wanting to electronically connect to hospitals’ electronic health records (within Stark limits). Now thanks to those changes, hospitals can subsidize a portion of medical group investments in IT that qualify for the 2009 stimulus money.
“Cost-sharing deals with hospitals are still alive,” said David Schoolcraft, a health care attorney. “It’s kind of like a double-coupon deal.”
Data released at MGMA’s annual conference show medical group revenue on a slide, leading many groups to shelve capital expenditures—including EHR investments. So hospitals and health systems that invest in struggling medical groups that want to modernize may be just what docs need right now—and it can also boost hospital efforts to computerize the health record.
Hospitals can share up to 85 percent of the cost of computer hardware and technology, support, maintenance and related services. If that tips the scales in favor of a medical group investing in an EHR, hospitals could benefit. “It leads to very good integration potential,” Schoolcraft said.
A possible added benefit for hospitals with doc deals: MGMA studies show that the more physicians spend per doctor on IT, the more profitable those doctors are. Not a bad deal if you’re sharing in the success.
Rick Haugh is an H&HN contributing writer blogging live from MGMA 2009 Conference.
