Massachusetts bill to require electronic records by 2015

BOSTON Massachusetts Senate president Therese Murray recently proposed legislation that would require healthcare providers across the state to adopt electronic health records by 2015, according to published reports.

The bill would provide $25 million annually to help cover the cost of deploying a statewide EHR system, with the funds coming from a proposed $1 increase to the state cigarette tax.

The tax would generate $175 million for the project by 2015, if the tax increase takes effect this year.

The bill also would require physicians to show competency in EHR technology to gain medical board registration.

The Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative, a not-for-profit organization focused on EHR adoption, said the bill would not provide sufficient funding for a statewide EHR system, estimating that the project would cost about $500 million.