Toledo aims for Federal electronic medical records project

Because doctors in small and medium-sized primary care practices are "hesitant to spend $20,000 to $40,000" to install electronic medical records, the federal government is launching a demonstration project in a dozen communities to encourage the switch from paper records. (Source: "Feds pushing electronic health files for patients," Toledo Blade, March 19, 2008.) Toledo is one of up to 50 communities expected to vie for the project. The dozen winning demonstration sites, involving up to 1,200 practices and 3.6 million patients, will be announced in June, with the project aiming to start next year.

"Toledo's effort is being headed by Dr. Ronald McGinnis, medical director of the University of Toledo Medical Center, formerly Medical College of Ohio Hospital. He said the local application's reach could expand beyond doctors in northwest Ohio. Advancing to electronic health records should band together doctors in an otherwise competitive health-care market, he added."

Individual participating primary care doctors would receive up to $58,000 through the project, while practices could receive up to $290,000. The higher amounts would be given to doctors who meet usage and reporting requirements. The project hopes to demonstrate that the widespread use of electronic health records will reduce medical errors and improve the overall quality of care for patients.

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