Health Information Technology Education for Physicians

Physicians serving Medicaid and Medicare may have to become Health Information Technology certified

As of 2011, physicians can obtain training in Health Information Technology from organizations sponsored by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. This training will help physicians work with specialized medical software being developed.

Incentives

The U.S. gives physicians IRS incentives to acquire health-care technology

The most powerful buyer of health services, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has prescribed health-care revamping, which will be implemented with tax incentives under criteria imposed by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Certification

Certification will be provided under Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology criteria.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and The National Coordinator for Health Information Technology certified three organizations to provide medical technology and certification: the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology in Illinois; the Drummond Group in Texas; and the InfoGard Laboratory, Inc., in California.

Benefits

The patient will benefit from Health Information Technology in numerous ways

A study by The Commonwealth Fund published in January 2009 found that physicians' use of medical software, lead to "fewer deaths, fewer complications, and lower costs." Medical software will provide physicians, patients, and insurers access to databases with information on the long-term effects of pharmaceuticals, and the so-called extra-pyramidal effects -- or cascade of illnesses -- derived from long-term adverse effects.

References

• The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; Community; Health
• The Commonwealth Fund; Health Information Technology; Content; Publications; Physician Perception of Quality Care and Satisfaction