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Funds available to help WNY Physicians

Funds available to help WNY Physicians Convert to Electronic Medical Records

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November , 2009
Contacts:
Earl Wells/Laura Jacobs
e3communications
716-854-8182 

Eligible physicians could received up to $9,000 in reimbursements

BUFFALO, NEW YORK – There is now money available to help Western New York physicians convert their cabinets full of paper files to secure and password-protected electronic medical records (EMRs).

The funds are available through a collaboration between HEALTHeLINK ─ the clinical information exchange for Western New York ─ and the region’s three major health insurers ─ BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, Independent Health and Univera Healthcare.

It is anticipated that a three physician practice would be eligible for approximately $27,000 in reimbursements for the purchase of an EMR system, or approximately $9,000 per physician.  

“Cost is the biggest hurdle for physicians to adopt electronic medical records and use them in a meaningful way, especially for smaller physician practices including those in rural areas,” Daniel E. Porreca, executive director, HEALTHeLINK™ said. “Our collaboration with the area’s three major health insurers provides a significant opportunity to increase EMR adoption and promote meaningful users of health information technology throughout Western New York”.

In addition to providing funding, HEALTHeLINK™ offers physician practices in kind services to help in the selection and implementation of EMR systems so that they are more likely to qualify for available federal funds allocated for EMR conversions.

These in kind services are valued at approximately $14,000 per medical practice. The federal funds are estimated to be in the range of $44,000 per physician who uses the EMR technology in a “meaningful way” as defined by the federal government.

To be eligible for financial assistance from HEALTHeLINK™ and the areas three major health insurers, a physician practice must be located in Erie, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans or Wyoming County and be a participating provider with BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, Independent Health or Univera Healthcare. Priority consideration will be given to physician practices in rural communities.

In order to qualify for federal stimulus dollars to reimburse the cost to adopt electronic medical records, physician practices need to start the process now or risk losing this money. Beginning in 2015, the federal government will penalize physician practices with cuts in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement if they do not adopt EMRs. 

For more information about HEALTHeLINK™, please visit the organization’s new website at www.wnyhealthelink.com.

About HEALTHeLINK™

HEALTHeLINK™, the Western New York clinical information exchange, is a collaborative effort among various organizations to share clinical information in efficient and meaningful ways to improve the delivery of care, enhance clinical outcomes, and help control healthcare costs throughout the region. The not-for-profit organization was established through funding from The Catholic Health System, Erie County Medical Center Corporation, BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York), Independent Health Association, Kaleida Health, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Univera Healthcare and the Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers Capital Grant Program (HEAL NY) from New York State. HEALTHeLINK™ stakeholders also include a broad representation of healthcare professionals and organizations throughout the eight-county Western New York region such as the Buffalo Academy of Medicine (BAM), Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH), State University of New York at Buffalo and the WNY R-AHEC (Rural Area Health Education Center).