On February 17th, 2009 the President signed the HITECH Act providing up to $44,000 in financial incentives for physicians that demonstrate Meaningful Use of electronic health records.

"Our goal is to help physicians understand how the HITECH Act impacts their practice and make them aware of the financial incentives available to them. We plan on sponsoring educational seminars throughout the Atlanta-Metro area to help physicians unravel the mysteries of the HITECH Act and Meaningful Use," reports Arash Babazadeh, regional outreach coordinator.

The first executive training session for physicians is to be held July 29th in Mid-Town Atlanta and events will continue through 2012. The presentations will include tips and tricks for successful EHR implementation, an executive-level briefing on the stimulus opportunity, and a Meaningful Use Toolkit that participants can take back to their office to check compliance. The Georgia State Medical Association encourages compliance with the HITECH act and federal stimulus program and is offering free attendance to its members.

About the Sponsors:

HITECH Act Help Consultants (www.hitechacthelp.org) is an online resource providing unbiased information to health care professionals on the HITECH Act and Meaningful Use.

WorkSmart MD empowers small practices with the people, tools, and technology to optimize revenue, streamline compliance, and automate business processes. Since 2001, WorkSmart MD (www.worksmartmd.com) has helped hundreds of doctors and office managers with everything from Revenue Optimization to successfully utilizing Electronic Health Record software. WorkSmart MD was founded by entrepreneur M. Jayson Meyer who has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey show, CBS 48 hours, and in the Wall Street Journal.

Founded in 1893, the Georgia State Medical Association, Inc. (www.gsmanet.org) is an affiliate of the National Medical Association (NMA). The NMA is the oldest and largest national organization of African American physicians.