The behavioral health information technology act is now headed to the house, where there is already a similar bipartisan legislation. Senate passed a bipartisan bill on Tuesday, which allows the Medicare and Medicaid centers to offer incentives for behavioral health providers who use EHRs.
This legislation is now headed to the House, where there is already a similar kind of legislation in process.
The purpose of this act is to provide funds to those healthcare providers who were not a part of the previous $38 Billion electronic health record incentive program, with an aim of assisting them to improve care for patients with addiction and psychological illness.
Community health centers, psychiatric and psychologists’ practices were not a part of the program, but the bill introduced in August 2017 by Senators D-Rhode Island, R-Ohio and Sheldon Whitehouse wants to give CMS the authority to distribute incentive payments to all behavioral health providers.
Marry Marran, President and Chief Operating Officer at Providence, R.I.-based Butler Hospital, said in statement issued by Whitehouse, “It’s critical that we have the ability to communicate issues easily and effectively, particularly with primary care providers, and this bill goes a long way towards leveling the playing field and making sure those suffering from mental health issues are not treated differently than anyone else.”
The legislation supported by Senators Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, and Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, wants CMS to first work on a demonstration test that will provide incentives to healthcare providers for using and implementing EHRs.
This bill is now headed to the House where a similar kind of legislation was introduced by Reps. Doris Matsui, D-California, and Lynn Jenkins, R-Kansas in the last summer, what would allow a trial project to give all the behavioral health facilities money for EHR implementation.
In a statement issued by Senator Whitehouse, he said, “Electronic records help doctors and other providers make better decisions about their patients’ care, Americans who receive substance abuse and mental health treatment should benefit from that technology, too. This bill would test the use of electronic health records by mental health providers to care for patients who too often are left behind.
