SRS, the EHR company that speaks on behalf of physicians, delivered a powerful message from physicians to policy-makers in Washington regarding the EHR incentives contained in the Economic Stimulus legislation. In addition to the many signatures on the Voice of the Physician Petition, over 150 providers felt so strongly that they submitted detailed and passionate supplemental comments to express their concerns.
At Friday's HIT Policy Committee meeting, SRSsoft Vice President of Government Affairs, Lynn Scheps, presented the petition to David Blumenthal, M.D., National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and to each member of the committee. She went to Washington, D.C., to make sure that the decision-makers heard the physicians' concerns loudly and clearly -- in her presentation, she urged them to read the petition and to heed the comments submitted by SRS clients and the comments written by non-SRS users.
"It is critical that someone speak on behalf of the physicians to make sure that the government's expectations for 'meaningful EHR use' do not place unrealistic burdens on them," says Stephan M. McCollam, M.D., of Peachtree Orthopaedic Clinic in Atlanta, Georgia. "Private-practicing physicians are underrepresented on the government's committees, so I hope that the petition and provider comments will be given significant consideration as the regulations are finalized."
"The success of a government program to encourage widespread EHR adoption will depend on establishing requirements that physicians do not find onerous, that do not compromise their productivity, and that help them provide high-quality patient care," says Evan Steele, CEO of SRSsoft. "SRS will continue to represent the voice of the physician in Washington and within the EHR industry." Source: