Practice Fusion:

You get $44,000 for using an EHR,

Practice Fusion is entirely free.

Do the math.

Ok.

Lie: You get $44,000 for using an EHR

Fact:  [ARRA § 4101] If an “eligible professional” is a yet-undefined “meaningful EHR user,” they could quality for Medicare and Medicaid “incentives” of “an amount equal to 75 percent of the allowed charges under this part for all such covered professional services furnished by the eligible professional during such year” from the to-be-established “Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund” not exceeding:

• 2011: $15,000
• 2012: $12,000
• 2013:  $8,000
• 2014: $4,000
• 2015: $2,000
• 2016: $0

Then, Medicare and Medicaid will penalize you up to 5% by the end of the decade from their rates which are already the lowest in the industry —unless you can prove to them why they shouldn’t. You probably won’t.

Commentary:

There is no $44,000.

Maybe you can apply for a few extra thousand dollars in medicare disbursements over several years if you are particularly sophisticated and already participate in Medicare or Medicaid.

Most practices will lose significant gross revenue from HITECH penalties by default.

Anybody who says otherwise is trying to sell you something dubious —probably more consulting to buy more consulting about how to save money through hiring consultants.

If $15,000 in 2011 is enough to matter to your practice, you are either a clueless medical student or about to go out of business.