Target a purchase date of 2010 - This is the best way to ensure you reach eligibility in time for the 2011 Medicare and Medicaid Incentives.
Once you select EHR software, additional time is required for implementation, training and then allowing your staff to become proficient and for your use to be considered meaningful. Most experts predict meaningful use means having at least one year of active EMR use at the point-of-care.
Waiting could delay and/or reduce what you may receive in stimulus payments.
Industry experts are predicting an unprecedented surge in number of physicians purchasing EMR and rushing to learn it to be considered a “meaningful user” in 2010. Providers who choose to wait can expect the following:
Pay more for both EMR software and training:
As EMR vendors get busy with the rush of buyers, they’ll be less willing to negotiate over the price.
Wait longer for implementation and training:
Due to limited resources of professionals in this field, a rush of buyers will make the queue of implementation much longer than usual.
Meaningful Use can be achieved an average of one year after go-live date.
Rushing the implementation will sacrifice the quality:
To make a physician a meaningful user of an EMR in a rush could reduce the quality of the implementation leading to frustration for the physician and the staff. The same project done in a timely manner will yield maximum benefits from using an EMR.
Delaying the purchase means delaying the stimulus payments or losing them altogether.