Electronic health record system implementation and meeting criteria under the meaningful use incentive program are among the top challenges for medical practice managers this year, according to a survey by the Medical Group Management Association, Modern Physician reports.
Survey Methods
The online survey of 1,190 physician practice managers was conducted from Jan. 7 to Jan. 21 (Robeznieks, Modern Physician, 6/30). Survey respondents rated 44 issues and identified which challenges were most applicable to their daily work (Monegain, Healthcare IT News, 6/30).
Key Findings
According to MGMA President and CEO William Jessee, the pressure to adopt health IT, determining which EHR systems are most useful for specific practices, and the need to comply with various government incentive and regulatory programs have become top concerns.
In past surveys, rising operational costs was the top concern, which now has dropped below meaningful use concerns and preparing for reimbursement models that place a greater share of financial risk on practices (Modern Physician, 6/30).
The survey also found that:
– Implementing standardized, machine-readable patient ID cards was 9.1% more challenging compared with a year ago; and
– Choosing and implementing an EHR system was more challenging for orthopedic surgery practices than other specialties (Healthcare IT News, 6/30).
