New Rules/Incentives on Electronic Medical Records

The federal government issued rules yesterday governing "meaningful use" of electronic medical records. The rules, discussed here, are aimed at helping doctors and hospitals get on board with electronic records. The idea is that electronic records would help with medical care, avoid duplication of tests, and eliminating medical errors. This, of course, assumes that doctors share the same system of electronic records. Eventually, I suspect each of us will have a single electronic file that any doctor can access with our permission. For now, look to hospitals and doctors' offices to go online with the available federal dollars. Jennifer