Medicare

HHS: Health IT use rising sharply

{mosads}HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius hailed the figures as a “tipping point” in the adoption of information technology to assist healthcare providers.

“These systems … are critical to modernizing our healthcare system,” Sebelius said in a statement. “Health IT helps providers better coordinate care, which can improve patients’ health and save money at the same time.”

Medicare and Medicaid give providers incentive payments for adopting EHRs. Wednesday’s figures were derived from the number of doctors and hospitals receiving these rewards by year.

Health IT is seen as a way to reduce errors and readmissions while increasing the efficiency of care.