Physicians want hospitals' help covering new IT costs

AMA House of Delegates urges greater assistance for physicians buying technology, but it doesn't want such aid to come with constraints.

By Katherine Vogt, AMNews staff. July 11, 2005.

Chicago -- With the drumbeat building for greater physician investment in information technology, the AMA's House of Delegates passed a resolution pressing for physicians to be allowed greater flexibility in how they finance it -- such as getting assistance from hospitals, as long as they don't try to wield power over physicians as a result.

The House, during the AMA Annual Meeting in June, passed a resolution urging the Association to support legislation and other "appropriate initiatives" providing incentives for physicians to acquire health information technology. That includes pursuing legislative and regulatory changes that would "otherwise prohibit financial assistance to physicians" purchasing technology.

The resolution also called for the AMA to support initiatives promoting interoperability between systems.

Because of current Stark and anti-kickback laws, generally physicians cannot get any financial assistance from a hospital for information technology, even if part of the goal in implementing technology is better communication between the physician and the hospital in question.

Supporters of the resolution testified that physicians have great need for financial assistance in acquiring health IT not only because of the eye-popping price tags of the systems, but also because of the potential for significant costs while implementing the technology.

"The changes that have to take place in your office are also expensive," said internist Josie Williams, MD, a delegate from College Station, Texas.