Practice Fusion Helps US Doctors Put EHR Incentives to Work

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Small medical practices across the country are starting 2012 with an extra $18,000 in the bank as a reward for making the transition from paper records to an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), part of the 2009 Economic Stimulus Plan, is promoting the national shift to EHR systems in an effort to reduce deadly medical errors, coordinate care and cut healthcare costs.

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Practice Fusion has made EHRs affordable for small and midsized medical practices, especially in primary care. These private practice physicians have led the charge during the first year of Meaningful Use and have been outspoken in sharing their experiences using Practice Fusion's free, web-based EHR to qualify for Meaningful Use payments.  Investments in technology and devices for patient care were common plans for the stimulus money:

• "I think that I will probably reinvest the money in my practice to provide better care and service to my patients... I am very happy with the program and your staff."  – Dr. Gonzalez – El Paso, TX
• "I am planning to invest in patient care and to upgrade computers with the stimulus money."  - Dr. Abraham – Bakersfield, CA
• "I will most likely invest in office equipment. A BIA machine that will help patients." – Dr. Munir – Phoenix, AZ
• "Reinvest in office equipment for patient diagnostics and care." – Kathryn Bobe –  Boca Raton, FL
• "The stimulus will go to paying office expenses.  We get a lot of snow here so our patient load drops off in the winter. The money will help get us to spring." – Dr. Rodriguez – Spokane, WA
• "I plan on purchasing Dragon Medical for use with the program. We already purchased two new computers in the office for the program. Everything about the Practice Fusion program made achieving Meaningful Use easier to accomplish. From the "Live in 5", to the "YouTube tutorials" to the Meaningful Use Dashboard; it was a package that I would not been able to utilize without all these components." Dr. Burk – Detroit, MI
• Reporters interested in speaking with a doctor who completed the Meaningful Use program in their area are invited to contact Practice Fusion at [email protected]

The majority of Practice Fusion users working toward Meaningful Use completed their 90-day attestation in December 2011, relying on the company's free EHR and free support resources to navigate the demanding process.

"Against all predictions, small medical practices and solo providers are embracing Meaningful Use. There is no doubt that the availability of affordable, or free, EHR systems such as Practice Fusion made this possible for doctors," said Ryan Howard, CEO of Practice Fusion. "Thanks to the CMS program these medical practices are enabled to provide better care for their patients and can reinvest their incentives back into their communities."

There are currently 1,096 certified ambulatory EHR systems on the market, many of which take a 10 to 25 percent cut of the stimulus money physicians receive on top of the steep costs for the EHR technology. Practice Fusion does not take a cut of incentives and does not charge users.  With a Live in Five® set-up guarantee, Practice Fusion allows doctors to sign up for free today and immediately start working toward Meaningful Use.

About Practice Fusion

Practice Fusion provides a free, web-based Electronic Health Record (EHR) system to physicians. With charting, scheduling, e-prescribing (eRx), lab integrations, referral letters, Meaningful Use certification, unlimited support and a Personal Health Record for patients, Practice Fusion's EHR addresses the complex needs of today's healthcare providers and disrupts the health IT status quo. Practice Fusion is the fastest growing EHR community in the country with more than 130,000 users serving 30 million patients. The company closed a $23 million Series B round of financing led by Founders Fund in 2011. For more information about Practice Fusion, please visit practicefusion.com.

Press Contact – Stephanie Schlegel
Email: [email protected]
Location: San Francisco
Phone: 415.692.7186

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Ryan Howard
https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=93794

SOURCE Practice Fusion