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TOPIC:

The 2009 federal economic stimulus package offers Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments to healthcare facilities and practitioners to encourage them to use electronic health records (EHRs) but omits clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric hospitals, mental health treatment facilities and substance abuse treatment facilities from these payments. Right now, according to the National Council for Community Behavioral Health Care's vice president of public policy, Charles Ingoglia, the only community behavioral health professionals eligible for health IT incentives are psychiatrists and nurse practitioners.

But, says the National Council's Linda Rosenberg, "Having an interoperable system of electronic health information is critical to achieving greater coordination among addiction, mental health and other health care providers and to helping consumers manage their own health care."

Reps. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) and Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) have introduced the Health Information Technology Extension for Behavioral Health Services Act of 2010 (HR 5040) to extend incentive payments included in the HITECH Act to the mental and behavioral health community. Despite bipartisan support, however, the legislation is still in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Ways and Means. The National Council and its partners are trying to move the legislation along.

http://www.ihealthbeat.org/features/2010/mental-health-providers-excluded-from-health-it-incentives.#ixzz0vUbyequZ

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

Sigurd Ackerman, Silver Hill Hospital

Expertise: Electronic Health Records; Healthcare and Technology; Psychiatry

Profile: Dr. Ackerman, President and Medical Director of Silver Hill Hospital, is a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and has held academic titles in psychiatry at Cornell University Medical College and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Ackerman, formerly Chief Executive Officer and President of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City, is an honors graduate of Harvard College. He received his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine. He trained in psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where for 10 years his full-time research on the effects of early maternal separation was federally funded through the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) research scientist development awards, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research project awards. Before joining St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital as chairman of its department of psychiatry, Dr. Ackerman led a clinical research unit for affective disorders and was the Associate Director for Clinical Affairs and Research at the Eating Disorders Institute of New York Hospital, Cornell University Medical Center, Westchester Division.

Mr. Ryan Howard, Practice Fusion

Expertise: Ryan Howard is an expert on health IT, SaaS software and EHR technology.

Profile: At the age of 30, Ryan Howard used his background in technology, health IT and business to create a completely new approach to Electronic Health Records. He envisioned a free, web-based EHR system that would serve the needs of small medical practices around the US. Now, Practice Fusion is the fastest growing EHR in the country and Ryan Howard exemplifies a new breed of health IT leaders revolutionizing the doctor’s office. Young, energetic and all about changing the status quo, Ryan continues to lead Practice Fusion as CEO and Chairman.

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KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  New York

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Technology  Data Management  Software  Practice Management  Health  Hospitals  Mental Health  Managed Care

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