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“I think the Medicare incentive pay-


ments are great because they help prac- tices afford the systems in the first place. Physicians need help with offsetting the costs of computers, printers, networks, IT support, and training,” she said. She says training classes offered


through the practice’s EHR vendor and county medical society programs on meaningful use helped the practice en- sure it achieved meaningful use and will continue to do so. Mr. Robins says PediPlace has plans for the more than $100,000 it has re- ceived in incentive payments. “Payments will be invested in the fu-


ture growth of our clinic, enabling us to expand access to care as well as provide annual funding for the added technology, licensing, and training costs necessary for an ongoing implementation,” he said. Five pediatric nurse practitioners work closely with PediPlace part-time Medical Director William S. Smith Jr., MD, who says the clinic accommodates 80 to 120 patients each day. “Because we see so many children who are uninsured or receive govern- ment coverage, it’s crucial we receive as much outside money as we can,” Dr. Smith said. Dr. Smith has never used an EHR system but anticipates it will cut down on the amount of paper charts used in the practice and will improve the clinic’s workflow in the long run. PediPlace plans to begin collecting 90


days of reportable data in January 2012, completing attestation in April. Mr. Rob- ins says staff training is under way and will be a primary focus of the clinic in its effort to receive up to $63,750 per eligible health professional over the six years of the program. Dr. Harris says the subsequent incen- tives Gynics Associates expects to receive will help cover the ongoing costs associ- ated with the EHR system, such as main- tenance of software and staff training. “The $43,000 incentive payment the practice has received helps pay for some of the software and hardware. With de- clining Medicaid reimbursement, we wouldn’t have been able to purchase our EHR without these incentive payments,” Dr. Wilson said.


August 2011 TEXAS MEDICINE 69


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