Adopt an EMR

The American Medical Association (AMA) is taking an active role in persuading physicians to use information technology (IT), including electronic medical records (EMRs), in their practices—which shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that the AMA has been working with a number of leading health care IT organizations, such as the EHR Collaborative, e-Health Initiative, and the National Alliance for Health Information Technology, for some time.

Physicians have clearly expressed concern about the cost of converting to an EMR, and some think it’s unfair for the AMA to think that physicians can foot the bill themselves. But the AMA has pledged to work with Congress and insurers to align incentives for physician adoption of health care IT.

To make health care IT adoption easier for physicians, the AMA also made November 2011 “Heal that Claim,” month, launching its annual campaign with new resources to help physicians automate administrative tasks for checking insurance eligibility, submitting and tracking claims, and obtaining payments.

This year, the AMA campaign features free tools, such as webinars, that offer step-by-step instructions for conducting electronic health care transactions. It is also supported by a new online forum for asking questions, getting answers, and accessing resources about automating a medical practice.

The tool kit is available here.