Digital Dilemma: Physicians oppose EHR requirements

Physicians in the Medicare incentive program who meet the criteria in the first or second year could receive a maximum of $44,000 over the course of the project. The figure is higher for those in health professional shortage areas and for those participating in the Medicaid incentive program. The regulation estimates the average cost of adopting, implementing or upgrading an EHR at $54,000 per full-time physician, with an additional $10,000 per doctor in annual maintenance costs.

The payment incentive “is better than nothing, but it still doesn’t really address the true dollar amount that comes with implementing health information technology,” Dr. Kotler said.