WASHINGTON – The president of the American College of Physicians told members of a Congressional subcommittee recently that a full-scale adoption of healthcare information technology would significantly improve quality in the U.S. healthcare system.
Lynne Kirk, MD, president of ACP, testified before the Subcommittee on Regulations, Healthcare and Trade of the House Committee on Small Business. She urged Congress to act decisively to promote adoption of healthcare IT at the solo and small practice level.
“To achieve immediate quality and healthcare savings through [healthcare IT], Congress must recognize the significant financial barriers for solo and small practices,” Kirk said. “It must offer creative solutions to stimulate adoption of [healthcare IT] where most Americans receive healthcare – in offices of one to five physicians.”
Kirk told the subcommittee that the high cost of implementing electronic health records prevented most physicians from adopting the technology.
ACP recommends that Congress implement an add-on code to the Medicare physician payment system that relates to the complexity of healthcare IT adopted by a physician practice. The organization also wants Congress to allocate funding for solo and small practices to make an initial investment in healthcare IT.
