Incentive funding-physician owned clinics

Incentive funding for physician owned clinics is harder than for hospitals because of the limited resources. Doctors can get up to a maximum of $44,000 over 5 years per provider in funds from the economic stimulus Act. How much they actually get depends on the percentage of Medicare/Medicaid patients that make up their clinic. Unfortunately, for many physicians this alone is not enough for start up and lot end up with out of pocket expenses. Starting an EHR can cost around $60,000 up front. Some physicians have started looking toward hospitals for help in establishing an EHR. Some hospitals have the physicians share the subsidies or repay the entire subsidized amount. These clinics would make sure their EMR communicates with the hospital EMR. Beginning in 2015, physicians who do not use EMR will be penalized starting with a 1% Medicare fee reduction, 3% by 2017 and 3% in 2019. As a physician who would like to start her own clinic, I didn't realize the actual dollar numbers, I had just heard that the incentive funding was not enough. Another topic is having any EMR and having one that is fully functional. This will be addressed at another time. But some physicians fear that with using hospital subsidies to fund an EMR system, they will lose control over their clinic. I have seen this happen where physician clinics are taken over by huge corporations like HCA, yet the inner dynamics of the clinic is in array. Those close to the situation can't do anything and the process of going through corporate takes a long time and may not result in changes. At the moment, I do not want to be associated with a hospital, so i will have to keep in mind the startup costs. I also may see if I want to have other physicians involved in my practice as well. Would I be able to accomplish more with more providers? Interesting things to ponder.