Free Medicare EHR software not so free after all
We reported last week that a plan by Medicare would distribute free electronic health records (EHR) software called VistA-Office EHR to physicians as part of a program to assist medical practices in making the shift to more of a paperless environment.
After The New York Times first broke the story, the department of Health and Human Services (HSS) released a statement to clarify what 'free' means. It could be viewed that the software is essentially free, but the kicker is the licensing fee that hits up each adopting physician for as much as $2,700, and that's per doctor not per practice. Ouch!
After The New York Times first broke the story, the department of Health and Human Services (HSS) released a statement to clarify what 'free' means. It could be viewed that the software is essentially free, but the kicker is the licensing fee that hits up each adopting physician for as much as $2,700, and that's per doctor not per practice. Ouch!