I will be giving a presentation on “HITECH for Physicians” on Wednesday, October 14, 2009, from 7:30 am to 9:00 am. The presentation will take place at MedX12 offices, Ormsby III, 10200 Forest Green Blvd. (just off of North Hurstbourne Lane) in Louisville, Kentucky.  The presentation will focus on those aspects of the HITECH Act that provide stimulus payments to physicians to adopt and make a “meaningful use” of “certified” electronic health records.  The HITECH Act employs a “carrot and stick” approach to the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) by giving stimulus payments for the adoption of EHRs and by reducing Medicare reimbursements to those who do not adopt EHRs by 2015. 

This presentation will cover the HITECH Act’s basics tenets (interim final rules are not due out until year-end) and recent developments towards development of “meaningful use” and “certification” standards by the HHS Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. In addition, I will be highlighting compliance strategies for physician practices related to the HITECH Act’s new Data Breach Notification Rule and “Business Associate” obligations. 

The presentation is being offered at no charge. A continental breakfast will be available. This presentation is open to anyone interested in the topic. Please RSVP by Friday, October 9, 2009.  Contact Kim Farmer, at (502) 339-7175 ext. 240 or kfarmer@medx12.com.