When physicians complain that practice expenses outpace both general inflation and third-party payments, they can point to the desktop computers, tablets, electronic health records (EHRs), and other accoutrements of digital medicine as an example.
Spending on information technology (IT) in group practices rose 27.8% from a median $15,211 per full-time equivalent physician (FTE) in 2008 to $19,439 in 2012, according to the latest cost survey report from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).
That 27.8% translates into an average annual increase of 5.6%. During that same period, inflation averaged 1.8% each year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Medicare fee-for-service rates rose annually by 1% on average from 2008 through 2011 and then plateaued in 2012.
In addition to computer hardware and software, information technology covered in the cost report includes telephone, paging and answering services, repair and maintenance, and data processing services purchased from an outside firm. This cost category does not include specialized IT equipment used exclusively in imaging and laboratory departments, and IT employees on the practice payroll.
For More Information Visit @ http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/811019
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