Senate Report Criticizes EMR Incentives, Implementation

Six Republican U.S. senators released a report Tuesday criticizing the federal government's $35 billion electronic medical record incentive program, with concerns ranging from privacy issues to billing fraud, according to The Center for Public Integrity.

The report named several benefits of widespread EMR implementation, including reduced healthcare costs and improved quality of care, but said the incentive program needs to be "recalibrated," according to the report.

The report concluded that digital systems may increase medical tests and Medicare bills and that information sharing is largely lacking. The senators also question whether health systems and providers will be able to maintain EMRs once federal stimulus dollars go away.

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