HHS Secretary seeks expanded use of electronic health records

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt has proposed a $150 million incentives plan to expand physicians' use of electronic medical records. The five-year project would reward doctors in smaller practices who begin filing patients' health history electronically. Those who do so would get more Medicare money, but Leavitt did not specify how much. A dozen communities nationwide can apply to be in the pilot program.