We are studying the challenges small practices in rural areas encounter with using Electronic Health Records meaningfully. We plan to conduct in-depth interviews with physicians and clinic managers who are employed in small practices in rural areas in South Carolina. Our overall goal is to identify their challenges and ways to promote collaboration between these practices with the goal to increase effective utilization of Information Technology.
The Health Information Technology Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) was enacted in 2009 to promote the use of health information technology meaningfully. A health care provider is said to use Electronic Health Record (EHR) meaningfully when the EHR is certified and used for clinical documentation, prescribing, exchange of health information and for submitting clinical quality measures. The goal is to enhance data capture and information sharing between providers, improve efficiency in the clinical process and ultimately lead to improved patient outcomes at reduced costs.
Small private practices in rural areas encounter significant challenges in meeting the HITECH meaningful use requirement because they cannot afford sophisticated EHRs which enhance meaningful use of EHRs
To increase uptake of routine use of EHR, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) created an incentive program for eligible providers and hospitals to use EHRs meaningfully. While the adoption of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) post the HITECH act has surged, there are still many providers’ who are not meeting the requirements for meaningful use, particularly small private practices in rural areas.
Our goal is to determine the most common barriers small private practices in South Carolina encounter in meeting the HITECH meaningful requirements and find out ways these practices can collaborate to overcome these challenges.