HCCA/Tulare Regional Medical Center announced today that, for the first time it has successfully achieved the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ requirements for ‘Meaningful Use’ of electronic health records and thus qualifies to receive substantial monetary rewards.
Shawn Burgess, Chief Information Officer at HCCA/TRMC, applauded the staff and providers at Tulare’s hospital for their efforts to achieve this remarkable milestone, “Meeting Stage 2 has been a feat not without challenges and a hurdle our facility has not been able to achieve since CMS enacted these regulations in 2010.” Burgess continues, “Since HCCA came on board this objective has been an extremely high priority. With this, our first ever successful MU validation, we are now qualified to attest for stage 3 incentives and avoid automatic reductions in CMS reimbursements.”
Under HCCA’s guidance, Tulare Regional Medical Center has once again taken great strides in improving the health of its community.
About Meaningful Use
Meaningful use is using certified electronic health record (EHR) technology to improve quality, safety, efficiency, and reduce health disparities, engage patients and family, improve care coordination, and population and public health and maintain privacy and security of patient health information. Meaningful use regulations set EHR adoption requirements that hospitals and physicians must meet in order to qualify for additional Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments beginning in 2011 and to avoid significant payment penalties in 2015 and later years. Meaningful use compliance will result in a myriad of positives including better clinical outcomes, improved population health outcomes, and increased transparency and efficiency.
About HCCA
Healthcare Conglomerate Associates specializes in building integrated health-care delivery systems by partnering with hospitals, health-care systems and health-care districts in a unique and proven private-public business model. Through direct purchase, capital infusion or creative mutually-beneficial collaborations, HCCA provides stability and a proven plan for profitability as well as the professional medical expertise for operating the integrated system.
HCCA manages and operates Tulare Regional Medical Center, a 112-bed general acute-care facility in Tulare, and Southern Inyo Hospital in Lone Pine.