Correctional facilities are increasingly showing interest in federal incentives for health providers who adopt Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHR), according to a new paper by Ben Butler, Chief Information Officer of Community Oriented Correctional Health Services (COCHS).
The EHR incentive programs require facilities to make “meaningful use” of systems that allow data to be shared among different providers.
“Interest in meaningful use among correctional health services (including both in-house health care providers and contract providers) is manifesting itself at different levels,” Butler writes.
His paper describes the applicability of “meaningful use” to correctional facilities, including potential opportunities for funds, and also as an avenue “to connect with the mainstream health care system and significantly improve the health of a very high-risk and historically disenfranchised population.”
Read the paper HERE.