Office Based EMR Cost Report

A Preliminary BC/BS Cost-Benefit Analysis

By Staff Reporters  Stethoscope

BlueCross-BlueShield of Massachusetts recently announced that it will not require physicians to install or use electronic medical records [EMRs] to participate in its new bonus program. The health plan came to the conclusion that the financial benefits of office-based electronic medical records systems are just not worth the cost to doctors.  

Little Office-Based Value 

Relying on information from past studies, the American Medical Association [AMA] estimated that office-based doctors see only 11 cents of every dollar saved through the use of information technology, according to AMNews reports. 

More Hospital Value 

But, the Massachusetts Blues did find value in health information technology [HIT] that physicians would need to use, as its own cost-benefit analysis concluded that computerized physician order entry makes financial sense in the hospital and enterprise-wide healthcare setting. 

Assessment 

The MA-Blues will require hospitals and health systems to install computerized physician order entry systems [CPOEs] by 2012, in order to participate in the bonus program.

Conclusion

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