Abuse of Electronic Health Records

[Commentary] The Obama administration has issued a strong and much-needed warning to hospitals and doctors about the fraudulent use of electronic medical records to illegally inflate their billings to Medicare.

Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. and the health and human services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, cited “troubling indications” that some providers are billing for services never provided and vowed to prosecute. They sent a letter to five major hospital trade associations after an article in The Times described in detail how greater use of electronic records might be making it easier for hospitals and doctors to submit erroneous payment claims. The administration is taking a properly forceful approach. It has stepped up its monitoring and prosecutions for fraud. It should also move more quickly to set up national guidelines on how to bill properly for services. Electronic health records have great potential to track patient care and prevent costly duplicate services. It is important that they not be undermined by abuses during the phase-in period.