The survey of 1,820 primary-care and specialty physicians found that fewer than one in 10 doctors used electronic health records (EHRs) in 2012. What’s more, only 44 percent of those surveyed said they had an EHR system in place. Those who don’t could face costly consequences.

Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which was adopted in 2009, healthcare organizations that digitize all patient health records by 2014 will qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments. Those that fail to demonstrate “meaningful use”–evidence that they’ve met certain benchmarks–by the deadline could face financial penalties.

Supporters of EHR say converting from a paper to a digital format will allow physicians to provide patients with a better quality of care, by sending appointment reminders, tracking referrals, and contacting those who are overdue for care. Opponents argue that EHR conversion is costly and the software is difficult to install. They also cite training all employees on using the software as a barrier to EHR adoption. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) through the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is monitoring the meaningful use timeline, is working with healthcare providers to resolve conversion issues.

Is your organization on target to meet meaningful use criteria by 2014? Please share your experiences in the comments below.

Founded by Kimberly Bowden in 2009, 1st Solution is intently focused on offering staffing solutions to healthcare organizations working to comply with Federal electronic medical record (EMR) implementations.

“The government mandate to implement electronic medical records represents a substantial challenge to every single provider across the country whether it’s a hospital or a medical office,” says Bowden, a graduate of Southern Methodist University armed with 17 years experience in IT recruiting. “Everyone needs to move away from paper charts to an electronic form of charting patient care.”

1st Solution dove head first into this sector well before the government mandated EMR implementation, and now has the experience needed to recruit people that help these healthcare organizations reach compliance. “If people do not have EMR implemented by a set date the government penalizes them through Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement,” she said. “The deadline means people are scrambling to gain compliance, and no one has the staff needed to accomplish the goal.”

As a comprehensive service provider, 1st Solution provides staffing, contract placement, staff augmentation, direct hire recruitment on a contingent basis as well as retained direct hire for executive level positions — all within the healthcare sector.

One of the firm’s key differentiators is its refined focus on quality over quantity. “We pride ourselves in taking over most of the recruiting process. We may interview fifteen people but only offer up two we feel are the best possible fits,” she said. “Our clients find this refreshing, and it shows that we not only understand the market, we understand our clients.” One of the best indicators of this is 1st Solution’s placement ratio of roughly sixty percent whereas the industry standard hovers around 25 percent.

Success for 1st Solution has been strategic and starts with the firm’s hiring practices. “We are very selective in hiring professionals who fit our structure. We have been intent on avoiding assembling a team that struggles with a narrow mindset of what it means to recruit,” she said. “As a result, we have a team of smart people who understand the technology of our niche. They can identify when people know the nuts and bolts of the application, and when they don’t.”

Looking ahead, Bowden foresees steady growth. “We have a national presence that we continue to strengthen. We are heavily focused on building out our client base in the central US including the rural hospitals where prospective clients could truly benefit from our expertise and talent base.”

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