EHR starting to take off.
Minnesota is near the front of the pack of states pursuing health information technology, as it begins to implement new laws requiring e-prescribing, paperless health plan claims and eventually an interoperable e-medical record for every Minnesotan. Starting January 15, 2009, health care providers can no longer submit any claims on paper, and eligibility checks also must be done online." In addition, proposed new legislation would require that "all Minnesota doctors, hospitals and other health care providers implement interoperable e-medical records (EMR) for their patients by the beginning of 2015. The legislature has appropriated $14 million to help small, rural health care providers and safety net clinics acquire EMR systems.