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How Doctors are Adapting to Healthcare Reform

By   |  May 12, 2014

With all of the changes that have been brought about in the healthcare field over the past several years, many physicians have been prompted to alter various aspects of their practice.

Whether it's transitioning their current paper filing systems to electronic medical records (EMR) and electronic health records (EHR) or creating a specific page on their website specifically dedicated to serve as a patient portal, more and more doctors are making changes to how their practices handle patients' data and interact with patients online.

According to a recent study conducted by The Physicians Foundation, the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act played a large role in these adjustments. One major aspect of this act was requiring approximately 70 percent of the primary care provider population to use EMRs by 2014.

In response to these recently implemented healthcare reform requirements, 74% of physicians said they would take steps to change their current practice style in the next one to three years, according to the study. Not everyone is on board with the reforms, however 26% of healthcare professionals said that they would continue to run their practices as they are.

The study also showed that more than half of physicians believe health reform will cause their practices' patient volume to increase. This may cause practices to have to factor in making additional changes to accommodate this anticipated boost in patients.

Has your medical practice had to make any significant changes as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or American Recovery and Reinvestment Act? Have health reform requirements caused you to consider upgrading your practice's website? Let us know here.

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